Aliens and Politics
by bugintheforest
Summary: Politics and the Stargate program aren't playing nice...again... And to top it off, there's another Kinsey-wannabe in the mix. When will IOA ever learn... A lil something that was rummaging round my head. Wanted to see Cassie grow up, so...here's my take. *This lil thing just keeps growing! Hope you enjoy! :)
1. Part One

Part One

Jack wandered through the green, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the Charlie site. Who knew retirement could be this relaxing…this peaceful…this…

_Hang on a second._

Quiet? Peaceful?

"Cassie…"

He continued forward, slowly creeping back into old habits of careful steps and stealthy movements. He saw the boots first, as he rounded a bend, leading up to a head completely ensconced in sunglasses and headphones. If she weren't wearing green BDUs, he'd have sworn he was looking at a much younger girl relaxing on the grass outside of his cabin.

But, the BDUs said official duty. _And she's snoozing…_ Jack paused long enough to ensure that she hadn't noticed him. Then slowly crept forward, pausing again to gain balance, and then slowly raised a foot to position it over her face…

"Nice try Jack," came the calm reply as Jack realized her hand was on his calf, blocking the move.

"This a swell example you're setting for your trainees, Captain." He looked around the immediate area, searching for the rest of the folks meant to be there. "Speaking of which…"

"Took the last one out about 20 minutes ago. Figured I'd use the sudden extra time…um…productively…?"

"Sleeping?"

"Yeah."

He reached down and yanked the headphones off Cassie's head, but came up short when he saw that they weren't plugged into anything. He looked back at her, confusion ever so slightly displayed on his face.

"You took my iPod last week."

_Oh yeah… _He looked at the headphones and then back at her, trying to figure out what the point of headphones was without the player.

"Noise canceling."

"Seriously, Cass. Where is everybody?"

She harrumphed as she bounded to her feet, moving her sunglasses to on top of her hat's bill, and snagging the headphones back.

"First two ended up hitting each other when I snuck up on 'em," she began to explain as she lead him through the tall grass back towards the main site. "They did manage to take out a trainer first. And the last one actually held up for quite a bit longer. Took out the last two trainers right off, and evaded for a while. Caught up with her eventually though."

She stopped just at the edge of a clearing. Jack could see the unconscious bodies of the three SG training unit members, as well as two of the most recent group of trainees. He tried to hide the smirk, but knowing Cassie, she'd know it was there.

"I figure, at the least, we have replacements for the three chuckleheads that are currently on SGTu…" She grinned up at him, hands casually on top of her In'tar P90 clipped to her vest.

* * *

As Sam made her way through the hall to the gateroom, she could barely contain the groan that was trying to make its way out at the sight of the battered trainees…and trainers. The groan transformed to a slight chuckle as she saw the stragglers making their way down the ramp.

"Don't tell me… She took them all out in the first 15 minutes of the exercise."

"Actually," Jack giggled, "they apparently took themselves out." They stopped at the bottom of the ramp just as Sam reached them. Sam just barely missed the look of pride that crossed his face before he managed to rearrange it to a suitable look of vague interest.

"Captain…Cass…ugh…" She couldn't help herself. Between the looks fluttering across Jack's face, and the completely blasé look on Cassie's, Sam couldn't come up with a good argument.

It's not like this was the first time. And she knew it wasn't completely Cassie's fault. The Stargate program on the whole was slowly loosing standing in the general scheme of things. That of course meant the recruits and academy folk they were sent for training and possible integration into the program were not held to the same standard they were before. Not to say they didn't get a decent selection. It just…wasn't the same…

_Heck, I have a hard enough time just hanging onto Cassie. And Jack doesn't even get paid aside from his retirement pay…_ The insistent headache that continued to make progress in the back of Sam's head threatened to gain some ground.

"What's Rickson doing here?" Jack said, breaking through her musings.

She looked up at him and followed his and Cassie's gaze up to the window of the briefing room. A man in a dark suit was standing, with arms crossed, at the window. The glare he was aiming down at the small group was all but physically felt.

_Ugh…forgot about that meeting… _Well, if she were honest with herself, she hadn't forgot. Sam was just hoping something nice would happen – something nice involving the annoying man being swallowed up by a sudden sinkhole.

She turned back and was about to comment, but paused at the looks on the two in front of her. Jack had his hands in his pockets, Cassie had hers lying on her weapon; but the looks on their faces were identical. Which was amusing, because Sam was sure Cassie had never actually met Senator Kinsey. But that was the look on their faces. The same disgusted and annoyed look Jack always got when Kinsey was so much as hinted about.

"Meeting." She aimed a look at Jack before continuing. "Captain, hit the showers and the infirmary. Head up to my office once you're clear."

Cass took a glance between the two, saw the intense Jack-Sam-wordless-convo, and took the hint.

"Roger doger, General."

Sam watched her as she made her way out the room, pausing only to hand her weapon off to a waiting sergeant.

"You're going to have to tell her at some point, Carter."

"Not if I can help it," she responded, turning back to look at him. Jack took a step closer to her, closing the space. He didn't reach up, as he wanted to – she's still at work, after all. But the little step was something.

"They're still looking. Digging. They know you're keeping stuff from 'em."

"Well of course I am! We've gotten as many people off-world as possible. We can't dig any further for others, because it might cause too much attention. I just… I won't…" She gave in and laid her head on his chest. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, a quick rub of the arms, before she stood up straight again and turned to make her way out of the gateroom, as he followed. She stopped just short of the door and turned back to him.

"I'm ordering her on leave, Jack. I need you to… Just take her somewhere. 'Kay?"

Jack hesitated, the urge to counter and comfort eking in, but stopped. The tired look on Sam's face told him it could wait. She was the Lieutenant General now.

"Okay, Carter. Sure. We'll go fishing."

* * *

Cassie made her way through the halls of SGC, giving small waves and nods to the various greetings. She knew she didn't need to worry about the looks Jack and Sam were giving each other, knowing if she needed to know something they'd tell her. But the addition of Rickson…well…

_Kinsey-incarnate…_

She never actually met the former senator-vice president-IOA-schmuck, but she'd heard enough stories and seen enough responses to his name. The fact that his former aide was now making himself into the same man… It was unsettling, to say the least.

She continued making her way to the general-populace locker room, lost in thought, and barely missed the comments of the passing airmen.

"You better watch your back, Captain. They're cracking down on aliens in the program…"

"What?" She stopped dead in the hall, turning to stare down at the young lieutenant.

"Well, you're 'alien', aren't you Captain? Technically?" The small group stopped as well, most of them smartly looking unsure as to their fellow lieutenant's comments.

"Ha! Alien or no, Lieutenant, I'm still higher ranking," Cassie smirked back at him, just the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice. _He better be on the track I think he's on…_ "And I'll have you know, aside from my adoption into the States, I went the extra step of taking a bunch of tests and classes and making an oath to officiate the whole thing."

The young man laughed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Point taken Captain. Sorry…"

"Yeah, yeah. What's the deal, anyway?" She relaxed, hands in pockets, putting the rest of the group at ease a bit.

"We're not really sure, Captain," one of the female lieutenants spoke up. "Just rumors, I guess. You know how it is. IOA comes snooping around, rumors start running."

Cassie laughed, waving the little group on its way. She knew they were right. Rumors did usually start making their rounds around the command whenever anyone started snooping, not just IOA.

_And they usually ended up more right than wrong…_

* * *

Cassie made the shower and clean up quick, and went to make her way to the infirmary for the mandatory post-off-world check; but something had her changing route and she found herself in the briefing room. Taking a glance through the window into the general's office, she saw that Rickson was still there.

And the meeting was obviously a heated one.

She'd seen that glare in Sam's eyes one too many times before. It could melt ice, blow up a sun, and even bring down the Great Jack O'Neill (once). How the sleaze in the suit was still standing was a mystery.

"General Carter should be ready for you shortly, Captain, if you want to take a seat."

She nodded at the master sergeant, and made her way to a chair towards the end of the briefing table. She made sure to have her back towards the office; just to defer any thoughts the people in the office may have of eavesdropping.

Of course, eavesdropping was exactly what she planned on doing.

"General, I'm sure you understand the severity of the issue." By the slight groan that escaped from Sam's side of the desk, this was obviously the beginning of an argument she had heard before from Rickson. "This program has always been accused of extensive funds usage. And a great deal of that has been worked through. But given the current financial standings of the country at large, we cannot accept the idea that taxpayers should continue footing the bill for individuals that do not even originate on this planet!"

"And as I've already informed the IOA, on various occasions, these 'individuals' have no where else to go. Not to mention, they have all supplied a great deal of support and assistance to not only the Stargate program, but also Earth 'at large'. We have taken it upon ourselves to help those willing and able to leave find somewhere to relocate to. However, you need to also understand, some of these people have built lives here, maintain jobs, and have families to look after. This is not a prison-release program, Senator; we do not tag and track the people we have offered help to. If you can't find them based off the information we have given you, it is most likely because they have managed to completely ensconce themselves in those lives. I'm not sure what other assistance you can expect from us."

The words were spoken with the professional air you would expect to hear from the commanding officer of a military command. If you happened to know General Carter, however, you would be able to hear the subtle threat lying just underneath.

Cassie heard the scratch of a chair, and chanced a look to see Rickson rise. Apparently he had had enough conversations with the general to at least suspect something hidden in her words.

"We know there is more in your files that you aren't giving us, General Carter. And we will find it."

As he stormed out of the office, slamming the door as he went, Cassie stifled a giggle.

_He tried to match her…and failed miserably…_

"Captain."

'Captain'. Not 'Cass', or 'Cassie'. 'Captain'.

_Ugh…angry Sam is never fun. Angry General Carter is even worse…_

She rose from the seat, turning smartly and making her way into the office, coming to a stop in front of the desk.

"Reporting as ordered, Ma'am," she said, offering a smart salute.

Sam glared, but quickly lost her edge and smirked. The older this girl got, the more she had to admit – Janet was there, Sam was there, but Jack was the biggest 'there'.

"Sit down Cass." She motioned to the chair, as she took her own.

"I see Rickson is living up to his predecessor," Cassie laughed as she sat down. At Sam's responding laugh, she knew she was clear and laughed a bit more.

"Don't bother with him. Just IOA being…well…their IOA selves." The laughter slowly left Sam's face, to be replaced with that same look of concern Cassie had seen in the gateroom.

"Anything…you'd like to share…" She knew it was iffy. Having your legal guardian also be your commanding officer made for an unusual working relationship – even if you were well past the age for needing a legal guardian. It was never too much of an issue, but Cass had a feeling this time would be one of those rare exceptions.

"Nope. It's nothing a person just about to go on leave needs to bother with," Sam replied, working to achieve an amused look.

"Leave?" Cass, on the other hand, had no trouble looking amused. "Seriously? You think I need leave? Do you realize how much 'down-time' I actually manage to snag on these training exercises? Jack actually managed to get a foot in my face this last go, I was so zonked out." She paused and considered the last statement, before adding, "Don't tell him that."

Sam couldn't help the chuckle. She knew the two loved to try and out sneak the other, mostly because Cassie was right – they did have a lot of downtime on the training exercises. Jack would never out right admit he liked the relaxing off-world fun, but he had admitted that the last few months had been reaching new levels of dull.

This, of course, just made a mandatory period of leave the harder to play off.

"We've got a break in incoming trainees, I figured you'd like to get away."

"Sure," Cassie smirked, "because Charlie site, ya know, way over on a crazy arm of the galaxy, isn't far enough." She paused again, deciding whether or not to push. "This…this doesn't have anything to do with the, uh, rumors going around base does it?

"Rumors?" Sam responded to the question, but the tone in that one word said she wasn't going to budge. Sam out - General Carter resuming duty.

"Yeah…rumors… Probably just newbies testing the base grapevine." She learned her limits long ago, and knew she'd have to go another route. "So…any suggestions on where I 'get away'?" She had avoided Sam's eyes during her little deviation, but looked back up now to see a sympathetic smile on the other woman's face. "Ah…yes…fishing… Fun, fun."

* * *

Jack glanced out the window above the kitchen sink at the chairs sitting at the end of the dock. He sighed as he picked up the last dish to be dried, remembering the last time it had just been him and Cassie at the cabin.

Sam had been in Atlantis, the guys off doing whatever it was that the guys did. The frantic call Jack had received in the middle of the night should have annoyed him more than anything. And it had, until he'd realized the voice at the other end of the line.

She'd been drinking, amongst other things. Ended up in the wrong position at a frat party. Thankfully, the guy didn't bother pressing charges for the busted jaw. Either because he was afraid she'd press charges of her own, or he figured the lamppost she rammed her car into about 20 minutes later was enough.

She was, surprisingly, okay. Walked away with just some bruising and scratches. The police tried to pin her with a DUI, but the tests kept coming back inconclusive and they had to drop it. Instead, she was placed in the custody of an Air Force general and they washed their hands of the case.

Jack, on the other hand, was not that easily dissuaded. He practically dragged her up to the cabin, only losing his temper and raging at her that first night. Various arguments of 'Is this what Janet died for?' and 'Is this what you think her and Sam want for you?'

It was a turning point for Cassie. He could see it. By the end of that month, she had still be struggling with things, but her attitude changed. Gone was the angsty teenager, who thought she was special and unique and the world should recognize it. Instead, there was a young woman. Still special and unique, but now focused; now she aimed for more.

_Stupid IOA… Stupid suits…_

They swore each other to secrecy. Sam wouldn't know. Both not wanting to admit to her how they had failed her…somehow. So they left it, and moved on.

She'd come far. Left Nevada for D.C., reapplying herself to her studies. She completed her degree, graduating with honors, before applying for Officer Candidate School with the Air Force. He knew most folks figured she would go with medicine, but she had that same attraction to tech that Sam had. Jack laughed to himself at that. The amount of time those two could talk techno-babble was ridiculous. He usually blended to the background, just watching.

She was supposed to make her way to '51, with the R&D folks in Nevada. But after her mandatory trip with the training unit at SGC, the powers-that-be decided she might be able to help there more. She could always make her way to Nevada later on.

But now…

_Stupid suits…_

Finished with the dishes, he made his way out to the dock. He could hear the 8-bit tunes of Tetris as he approached the chairs. Taking his seat and reaching over to grab one of the unused poles leaning against her chair, he glanced down at the old GameBoy Advance in Cassie's hands.

"Ya know…the purpose of sitting at a dock over a pond with a fishing pole is to fish."

"I would," Cassie replied without looking up from the game, "but I'm always afraid that I would catch something. And then what would you do?" The level ended and she paused the game before looking up at him. "Your one-fish pond would go back to being completely fishless."

"You could always throw it back."

"I feel sorry for the poor thing. Being the only one in there. Must be lonely." She smirked as she returned to her game. "Unless of course…it's not a 'normal' fish…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack queried, throwing the line out and slowly reeling it back.

"Well, a once empty pond suddenly gains a fish. Owner of said pond the former head of Homeworld Security… Could be an alien refugee or something." She paused and glanced sideways at Jack. "Would hate for IOA to find out. They might send it back through the gate… Wouldn't want to pay for fish food for an alien fish…"

The reel stopped.

Jack looked over to find a too-sweet and innocent look gazing back at him.

_Damn. You'd think Carter would remember the lil demon has supersonic hearing…_

"I'm guessing you were listening in on the general and a certain weasel," Jack offered, returning to reeling in the line.

"Kinda hard to miss. He's rather…obvious."

"Well…it's nothing to worry about."

"Nice try Jack. If it wasn't the rumors circulating around base that helped, there's no way you'd expect me to miss the lack of friends coming over." Line went flying back out over the water. She closed the game and turned in her chair. "Jack. It's been months since we've seen Teal'c. And don't tell me it's 'cause he's so wrapped up with Rya'c and Kar'yn and the kids. He was groaning about them aging him more than SG1 ever did the last time he was here. And Daniel and Vala? Just randomly go off to Beta for, what? Honeymoon? I've been to Beta recently. No sign of 'em."

Line started to fly back out, but came up short.

"Jack…"

_Damn…_ He hadn't ever been able to back down from that. Difficult when she was a kid, bit naggy when she got older… Now…now it was a quiet, respectful plea.

"I know what Sam's motivation is. She wants to protect – it's her nature. I got that. But you," she continued, leaning over to place a hand on his chair, "…you have always given it to me straight." He finally looked over at her. "Well…almost always. I mean, not every kid has a dog…" She grinned and he couldn't help but return it.

"Smooth kid. Smooth." He dragged a hand over his slightly stubbly chin before fixing the line and throwing it back out into the water. "I'm guessing you…overheard enough to get the general gist."

"IOA has found a new way of penny pinching the program." She set the game on the dock before claiming the other pole and tossing out the line.

"Nice. Yeah, they've decided all these folks that we've given a place to crash need to go. So, they're scouring the files and tracking 'em down. The small few Carter has tracked down and given a head's up to went where they could. Messages were passed to those off-world."

"Right. Got that. But there's some that she couldn't track. She told Rickson that they had ensconced themselves in their new lives, that SGC didn't tag and track."

Jack smiled. _Go Carter…_

"Well, yeah. Most of those guys knew there was no going back – either there was nothing to go back to, or it just wasn't, well, worth going back. So they built themselves new lives, and they don't want to leave them."

"Right," Cassie said, "that's what Sam told him. They weren't even using their Air Force funds any more. So why bother?"

"Its just IOA being…well…idiots…" He threw the line out a bit more forcefully and had to reel it back.

"Okay. So they'll keep digging, causing general havoc at SGC, and in the process, coming up with more crap to throw at the program. They have to know that Sam would've given notice as soon as she found out. And, yet, they still think she's hiding someth-…" She got ready to toss out the line again, but stopped. She turned to aim a suspicious glare at Jack, but he missed it. "They…uh…they must be digging pretty deep."

"Yeah."

"And with all the resources they weasel themselves, they can dig out paperwork of all sorts."

"Yup."

"Birth certificates, social security cards…adoption records…"

"Sure…" _Crap._ His line was snagged on a patch of reeds. Just as snagged as he seemed to be at the moment…

He turned to look at Cassie, as he continued to pull on the line. The look on her face actually took him back. Not that it scared him, per se. It just…well…he was more scared of where it would lead.

"Cassie…"

"You have always told me that while I'm special, I'm not special-special. I don't deserve any different treatment. Not because of where I'm from, not because of who I'm close to, nothing."

"Cass…"

"And yet the whole program gets whacked by the IOA and she still doesn't turn it over."

"Don't," Jack snapped, pole forgotten. "Don't do that. While, yes, turning over that file would kind of screw things over for you, it would in no way stop the IOA from doing exactly what they're doing." The abashed look on her face had him backing down. "This is what they do, Cass. They dig, they cause havoc, and then they get shut down."

"How are they going to be stopped this time?"

"There's a committee hearing at the end of the week. Carter will set 'em straight. Make them understand. Show them the compromises."

"But the compromises shouldn't been necessary…"

"Yeah…but sometimes they are."

They resumed with the poles, the sound of the reels the only sound echoing in the quiet.

"Jack…" He stopped, but she didn't look at him. "I can't just… I can't just sit idly by a pond while people we know – people just like me – have their lives torn apart…" She finally turned towards him, and he could see that same twinge of change in her eyes.

It was something all of them had tried to instill in her from the beginning. The idea that one life was no more or less important than another. That everyone should be treated equally, given the same chance. It was up to the individual to do what they would with what they got.

How could he go back on that now?

"Yeah kid…I know..."

* * *

Sam hated the feeling that was currently in the pit of her stomach. The feeling that said there was nothing left for her to do. That the battle was over, and even with all the tools and weapons at her side, she was still about to lose.

It was a huge relief to see that Rickson, while in attendance, was not leading the meeting. He was still there, though. The chairman of the hearing, Senator Michaels, had seemed open to listening to all she had to offer. Of course, if the glances Rickson kept passing to the gentleman on the other side of Michaels were anything to go off of, it was looking like a 2-to-1 vote.

The three men were quietly conferring at their table, yet another thing that was bothering Sam. _Yup…go ahead and talk right there. No sense that your decision has already been made…_

The door at the back of the small room creaked open, but she didn't bother looking back. No one coming in at this point could offer any help.

"Excuse me, Chairman. May I approach?"

The few other people in the room turned to see who had entered, but Sam couldn't help but cringe instead. She turned slightly to see Jack, just as he was taking a seat just behind her, and Cassie pausing in the aisle. She must have visibly shown her shock, because Jack leaned up and put a hand on her arm. She caught his eyes and he just nodded.

"Chairman, this is highly improper. I-", Rickson started, before Cassie cut him off.

"It is an open hearing, is it not?" She successfully managed to hide the smirk that threatened to rise at the look of shock and anger crossing Rickson's face.

"To an extent. And you are?" replied Chairman Michaels, waving down Rickson.

"My name is Cassandra Fraiser. I am a Captain in the US Air Force, a member of the SGC off-world training unit, and…" She faltered, fighting the urge to look over to Sam and Jack, to seek the support she wasn't entirely sure she would find. After a quick exhale, she continued, "…and the sole survivor of a virus that eradicated the entire population of my home planet, Hanka – official designation P8X-987."

As rushed as the last bit was, the quiet in the room allowed for clear hearing. That same quiet seemed to intensify as the information was taken in. Sam's whisper of "Cassie" was all that was heard.

On the bright side, the look on Rickson's face was making this little announcement completely worth it. He most likely expected some rant from Jack O'Neill's little protégé. But this…

"There is no Cassandra Fraiser on the list," Michaels stated, breaking the shocked silence.

"There wouldn't be. The file was given the strictest clearance before slowly making its way to governmental oblivion," Cassie offered.

"Then how in the world do you expect us-" Rickson started again, in an attempt to regain his slowly wavering upper hand. He stopped short, though, when the young woman raised a slightly thickened, non-descript folder.

"Funny thing about 'governmental' oblivion… Crazy detailed tracking."

The quiet curse from behind her didn't go missed as she passed the folder to the guard that stepped forward. Jack didn't miss it either as Sam had turned a killer gaze in his direction.

Both of them knew where that file was supposed to be. It was the last thing he did before he retired, before he lost the ability to. He'd removed it from the archive and that very weekend had placed it in the watertight, Asgardian vault they used for just such a thing, and left it at the bottom of that old one-fish pond.

"Mission 30185?"

The chairman's query pulled every one out of their thoughts.

"Yes. Fairly straight forward reading." She paused, unsure whether or not to continue. Michaels flipped through the file briefly before passing it to the gentleman sitting next to him. Not Rickson, she was pleased to see.

"Say what you came to say, young lady."

_Okay… Here goes._

"Thank you. I don't want to waste any more of your time. And I have no doubt that you have heard all the necessary logistic information from General Carter. I just thought you should hear from someone you want to, well…get rid of."

"We're not trying to 'get rid of' any one, Ms. Fraiser," Michaels scolded.

"Of course not…no… Just, well…you get the idea. Anyway…I came here when I was 11. All the lovely details, as I said, in the file. I was headed for an adoptive family, but Janet Fraiser, the SGC CMO at the time, decided to take me in. I know that my age has always meant a level of extra protection, calling for the need of the mystery file."

"'Mission 30185'?" asked the unnamed gentleman with the file.

"My birthday. Well, at least, as close as we could get in Earth terms."

"There's more in here than just that initial incident, Ms. Fraiser."

"There was another…um…incident when I turned 16…um…"

The man showed Michaels a specific point in the file.

"Unique powers demonstrated?" Michaels questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Don't know about unique. Last time I was in Vegas, there was a guy charging 100 bucks a head for cheap seats just to watch him do the same stuff…" There was a quiet chuckle from behind her, quickly followed from a smack and an "ouch".

"Go on," Michaels said as he passed the paper back.

"Right. Anyway…aside from that, I went on with creating a life here. Went to school, got little side jobs at the mall, did a lot of shopping at the mall…" The gentlemen at the table started to acquire glazed looks. "Look. My point is – all these people that are brought here, given a chance to regain what they may have lost…we're all human."

The glaze disappeared. Even Mr. NoName looked up.

"The would-be god that sent a plague to my home world, just because her plans for world domination was ruined? I learned in history class about a few folks here on Earth who have attempted the same thing." Anyone who knew her could tell she was gearing up for a fight as she continued her speech. "The random Jaffa that shot my mom? Just because she was there and in the clear and…" A quick pause. "Right up there with random drive-bys and gas station robbery victims. Folks that get hooked on various plants and over-modified corn? Like any other random college kid punk who thinks the world can't affect them."

The quiet in the room again echoed off the walls. Sam was trying to take in everything Cassie had said, but the fear of what her presence there might lead to was overshadowing everything else.

"Ms. Fraiser, I don't know what…" Michaels started.

"My point, Mr. Chairman, is that I understand how the intergalactic aspect of this matter may be the most obvious thing to focus on. But aside from the obvious, or not so obvious, differences, it comes down to a simple matter of environment and circumstances. In a sense, it could make for a rather interesting addition to the nurture over nature argument… But in the end, deep down, the simple fact is – we are all, just, human. And we should be given the rights reserved for such. We're not here to cause trouble; we're not here to take over your lands. Those that are threatening Earth, by all means, send on their way. But those of us that are simply trying to live our lives…well…"

She threw up her hands, looking up at the table in front of her. The three men stared back with varying looks. Rickson, of course, simply looked indignant. But Michaels and the third seemed to look like they might be ever so slightly thought-provoked.

"That's all I came to say," Cassie sighed. She turned around to take a seat next to Jack.

"Captain?" She stopped to look back up at Michaels. "Thank you."

With a nod, she took her seat. He turned to look at the two men seated beside him.

"I think we'll go ahead and break. We'll recommence at 1400." He rose from his seat, followed by the other two, Rickson moving rather hesitantly.

* * *

"What were you thinking?!" Sam was pacing furiously back and forth in the sitting area of her hotel room. Jack and Cassie sat silently on the sofa, taking turns slowly reaching forward for another slice of pizza or a drink. "Do you have any idea what could have happened? I'm surprised they didn't take you into custody. Or worse!"

"Sam…" Cassie attempted, but melted back into the cushions as Sam whipped an angry gaze at her.

"Carter…" Jack's turn. While she tried the same maneuver, he had more practice with it. "She had the right idea. You had to know that Rickson wouldn't let any one actually give a…well…human aspect to this. He was hoping he could just run with the numbers. And he would've been right. If it was just a fact of money, he would've won."

Sam seemed to deflate, slumping into the recliner next to the sofa. She couldn't help but think the argument Jack gave was something more like what she would give. _When did we switch places…?_ But the fear was still there.

"What happens when Rickson gets his say, any way? What happens when she gets sent away? Or worse, ends up in '51? Not as a researcher, but as research!" The shocked look that passed Cassie's face had her sitting up in the chair. "See! Didn't think of that, did ya?"

"They'll have to catch her first," Jack said with a smirk. At Sam's questioning look, he added, "Oh come on, Carter. You really think we'd come out here and not have a back-up plan?"

A quick check to her internal schedule told her that the Hammond was, in fact, scheduled to be in orbit for the rest of the month. _Damn him._

"Still doesn't get you off the hook. Honestly, Jack, how could you think turning over that file would help?"

"I bet it gets them to stop looking," Cassie offered after all Jack did was point at her. "This way, the big secret looks like it's been revealed. They think they've got a win. Maybe they ease up. Besides, some of them have to actually have a heart. They can't all be Kinsey-wannabes." At the confused looks from the other two, she added, "It's a simple matter of statistics."

"Right…" Jack commented as he reached for another slice.

Sam couldn't help but laugh and reach for some pizza herself. She sat back in the chair, nibbling on the pizza and watching the two on the sofa. All the years that had passed, all the things that had happened – this was what she had to show for it. And she wouldn't give it up for anything.

The battle might soon be over, but the war wasn't.

* * *

They meandered back to the small meeting hall shortly before 1400. Sam was half-tempted to get Cassie to change into her uniform, but appreciated the reasoning behind the simple black dress suit she wore. She was even more tempted to not let either her or Jack back in the room, allowing for an easier escape to the Hammond, should the need arise. In the end, she wanted the strength they offered.

As the three men made their way back into the room, she watched them; looking for any sign of what decision they had come to. Or, rather, whether or not they changed the decision she was sure they had had when they initially started the whole ordeal. She couldn't see much of a difference, though.

_Well…at least Rickson isn't smiling._

Not smiling, but not terribly upset either.

"After much discussion, we have come to a decision," Michaels began. He shuffled the papers in front of him as the small group in the room waited anxiously. "With all the information presented, we have come to the conclusion that there is no need to change the policies the Stargate command, as well as Homeworld Security as a whole, have in place in regards to those persons being granted refugee status. It is obvious that all attempts are made to ensure that these persons are encouraged to seek their own means, and that policies are in place to ensure no immediate threat is brought to Earth. While we agree that the policies currently in place are sufficient, it is strongly suggested that the funds that are given to these persons continue to come directly from the command budget. This decision will not affect any current or future budgetary issues. General Carter, I am sure this will be kept in mind."

"Yes sir," Sam responded, standing up as she did. "Thank you, sir."

Michaels turned to Rickson and managed to wrestle a file out of his hands. He handed it to the guard standing off to the side and directed him towards Sam.

"I leave this up to your discretion, General," he said, as the guard made his way across the room and handed the file to Sam. "I have instructed the members of this panel to not take the information in that file any further than this meeting."

He paused, giving a blink-and-you'd-miss-it glance towards Rickson. The message was clear – you're getting it back; there were no copies made; but that won't keep all mouths shut.

"Thank you, sir," Sam replied, clutching the file to her.

"I think we're finished here," Michaels finished as the men stood. "Thank you all for your time." The two other men walked out of the room, but Michaels stopped just short of the door and turned back to the room. "Captain?"

"Sir?" Cassie said as she stood up abruptly.

"Keep up the good work." And with that, he walked out.

"Well…looks like numbers won out after all…in a sense." Both women turned just as Jack stood up. "Bet Rickson's pissed…" He gave them a wicked grin.

* * *

Sam made her way through the hall towards the gateroom, waving to the nods and greetings of the returning trainees. She stopped as she realized they were all smiling. Tired, but still smiling. The other members of the training unit followed them, also tired but smiling.

_Guess this trip went a bit better…_

She made it into the gateroom just as Jack and Cassie hit the bottom of the ramp. She met them halfway across the room.

"It went well, I see?"

"Meh," Jack offered, waggling his hand in a so-so manner.

Cassie laughed as she handed her weapon to the waiting SF, pulling the zat from Jack's holster and handing it off as well.

"Not too bad," she said. "Took a bit longer this time. And it was an even round of trainees taking out trainers and vice versa. So…sure…bit better." She grinned as Jack looked around confusingly for his zat. "They seemed to be somewhat proud of themselves, anyway. That's gotta be something."

"It's something," Sam said, laughing. "Alright, you know the drill. Debrief in an hour."

She watched the two of them slap and push at each other as they made their way out the door. She paused at the stairs up towards the control room to continue watching them down the hall, Jack managing to get Cassie in a headlock, a few airmen just barely managing to miss flying elbows as they finally reached the elevator.

Sam walked up the stairs, pausing in the control room to check in before making her way up to her office. Stopping again at the window looking down to the gateroom, she smiled to herself.

Yup, it's a crazy life, no doubt about it. But she wouldn't give it up for anything.

* * *

Rickson made his way through the quiet, nearly empty parking garage, thinking the incognito aspect of the meeting he was headed to was a bit over the top.

_Seriously… This guy has watched way too many spy movies._

He didn't like having to deal with the man, especially considering he didn't even know the man's name. But Mr. NoName had pulled in a great many resources for Rickson's use, and he was not one to turn down a gift horse.

_Not that he helped any with the latest hearing…_

"Mr. Rickson…" The voice came out of a shadow in the far corner.

_Yeah…way too many spy movies… Yes Mr. Bond?_

"We could have just as easily had this meeting in the restaurant down the street," Rickson replied with a sneer as he reached the corner. "They have a fantastic chef. Brilliant fillets."

Mr. NoName emerged slowly from the shadow to glare at his companion.

"Ignore your stomach for a moment, Rickson. We need to discuss the next step."

"Next step? I still don't understand why we didn't snag that girl at the hearing. You wanted her so badly, why wait?"

"That hearing," the mysterious man growled, "was just an excuse for us to get our hands on that file, to ensure we were looking in the right place."

Rickson's annoyance was plain on his face. He wasn't a man for clandestine actions or roundabout discussions.

"The goal was to get rid of aliens invading our shores – on a galactic level! As far as I can tell, nothing has changed."

"That was your plan, Mr. Rickson. Not ours. The IOA, and the Trust, has always been on the look out for ways to ensure the safety of our 'shores'. That girl is the key to furthering one of the best weapons we have devised thus far."

That got the smug senator's attention.

"You're not talking about that joke of a Goa'uld program? What? Conrad and Kinsey weren't big enough disappointments?" He laughed to himself as he went to light a cigarette. "We already decided it wouldn't work. There's just no way to mix Goa'uld and human, without annoying character flaws."

Mr. NoName took a step forward to pluck the barely lit cigarette out of Rickson's mouth, crushing it under a well-polished shoe.

"And yet, the Goa'uld managed it. It was all there in that file. Goa'uld modifications on a level we have yet to successfully manage."

"Yeah…in an alien…" came the hesitant reply.

"Ahh…but you heard her, Mr. Rickson," the shadowy man said, turning to glare mischievously in the other man's eyes. "She's not alien. She's human."


	2. Part Two

Part Two

It was late in Cheyenne Mountain, all the halls quiet with just a skeleton crew wandering them. Sam sat in her office, staring at the ceiling and swinging back and forth in the big swivel leather chair – anything to keep from dealing with the stack of folders on her desk. She had ordered herself to take care of the evaluations before she was allowed to seek the comfort and joy of home, but it was becoming more and more difficult to obey that order as time ticked on. With a groan and a rough dry-washing of her face, she slammed her hands down on the desk, determined to finish.

_It'd be a whole lot easier if I could just say, "Everybody's awesome!"_

It was the truth, after all. Why did evaluations need such individualized wordings of the exact same thing? She smiled to herself at the thought, knowing that was most likely the exact reaction Jack would have had each time he was stuck in the same position. Browsing through the file on the top of the pile, she noticed the oldest evaluation included was three years old.

_Hmm…maybe if I could find his old eval write-ups… Just reword them a bit… Add a few bits 'n bobs to match up with the current crews…_

The plan was developing beautifully in her mind when she caught sight of an out of place file in amongst the others. She dug it out from the middle of the pile, figuring Walter had tossed it in at some point – most likely during the rather frequent instances her desk had looked like a disaster zone and then was subsequently tided.

_Good ole Chief Master Sergeant Harriman… Well, not anymore_, she corrected herself as she flipped blindly through the report. He was one of the most recent airman-to-civilian conversions of SGC to loose the uniform, but not the job. There had been more and more of them lately, airmen hitting tenure and finding themselves unable to advance in rank anymore, but still wanting to serve the SGC. Even Major Davis had had to succumb to advancement, but only with the promise of being kept within the Homeworld Security program. With the expertise behind folks like Walter, Davis and, before them, Siler, Homeworld Security was more than happy to keep them on – even if it took another hit out of the budget.

She was so busy musing over the changes the command had seen just in her time as CO, that it took her a minute to actually focus on what she was reading. It wasn't a personnel record after all, or a mission report – the two things most expected to be found on her desk at the current moment. They were transfer orders. As she read more, she sat up in her chair in shock.

They were transfer orders for Cassie.

To Area 51.

* * *

She had rushed home, evaluations forgotten. As she flew into the driveway, she was relieved to not see Cassie's car there. Not that it would have been a huge surprise either way. When it had officially been decided that all three of them would end up in Colorado Springs, Sam had suggested that Cassie move in with her and Jack. Figured it would be nice to have the full house, and save the young woman on finding a place. Strangely, Jack was hesitant. Cassie seemed to sense it too, and decided to find her own little place. Sam didn't question it, but still thought it was odd.

However, the two troublemakers were going to meet up to work out some new training exercises. More so to entertain themselves than the trainees, but it promised to be a long, amusing process that Sam had been sad to be missing as she sat groaning over evaluations. The fact that they had apparently called it quits earlier than she would have expected was an unanticipated blessing.

She blew through the front door, only temporarily halted by the low lighting inside the house. She almost turned to the bedroom, figuring Jack was asleep, when she heard the thud of something hitting the coffee table in the den.

"Sam?" came the dreary query from the direction of the thud.

She turned back towards the den, suddenly slowing to a crawl compared to her previously rushed state.

"Sam, that you?"

_Why am I suddenly scared? _She had wanted nothing more than to tell him all her worries and fears, hence the quick escape from the command. But now…

Jack found her standing there in the hall. He was sleepily rubbing his eyes, but as he noticed the look on her face, he grew to be fully awake.

"Carter, what's up?" he asked as he quickly closed the distance between them. Her only response was to hold up the file she hand clamped in a near fist. He gently pried it from her, breezing through it. "Crap…" He took the hand she still had raised between them and led her into the den and onto the couch, sitting next to her and placing the irksome file on the table in front of them.

He turned to her and took her hands in his, opening his mouth to speak…but couldn't quite grasp the right words. It's not like they weren't expecting it. Ever since the sham of an alien hunting hearing, months ago, the thought had been there in the back of their minds. The IOA had gone through all that trouble to dig out files and reports, just to go quietly back to their holes after losing? It didn't fit. They usually didn't give up so quickly, so easily, especially not senators after Kinsey's own heart.

Sam had been the first to voice the unpleasant thought out loud. It had just been the two of them, a quiet dinner at home. She'd been thinking about it the whole day, knowing they were finally getting a chance to head back up to the cabin and that lovely hiding place of a pond. It was the thought of hiding the file again that brought up the idea that maybe it was the whole purpose of the hearing. Maybe all the IOA's searching was just a show. Maybe all they wanted was to know more about this one particular file.

It wasn't exactly like Cassie was a secret. So to speak... People in the command knew who she was, her connections to Jack and Sam, to Janet, to all of SG-1. Smaller groups of folks knew a bit more…medical personnel that had been around…other command personnel… Just like Senator Michaels had mentioned at the hearing – there was just no guarantee that word of mouth stayed as secure as the paper file.

The real question was why. Why were they so interested in an incident that had happened nearly a decade prior? The answer came shortly after the question was raised.

The IOA had slowly been taking over bits and pieces of Homeworld Security for a while. Jack always assumed they had just been waiting for him to well and truly retire, the lion out of the den so to speak. It wasn't enough for any one to be concerned. If it kept them happy, let them poke and pry. But they were getting more and more daring, eventually taking over Area 51 research and development as their own little playground. SGC, even Homeland Security, was shut out of operations. All incoming technology and research possibilities that came through the Stargate were ordered directly to Nevada – no stopping at Go, no collecting samples or data for side research.

Anything that went in never came back out.

The small amount they had heard from '51 was not good. The IOA seemed to be starting where the Trust and the not-so-good-side of NID had stopped off. They were looking into failed programs and the most profitable, and deadly, uses of everything that came through the 'gate. Most researchers that could afford to ran, before they were locked in too tight. Others stuck around, hoping to do what they could 'behind enemy lines'.

_And now, all of a sudden, they want Cassie to be a researcher?_ Jack didn't like it. Not one bit. _More like research…_

"We can't let her go, Jack," Sam whispered, afraid to voice anything stronger. Doing so would make it true.

"I know, Sam. We'll think of something…" He trailed off. _We have to think of something…_

* * *

Cassie had been browsing the pieces of projects Dr. Lee had scattered around the lab when Daniel finally found her.

"Hey," he called from the doorway, "shouldn't you be in the briefing room?"

"Huh?" She looked up, somewhat startled at being caught poking around where, according to the look on her face, she most likely wasn't supposed to be. "Hey, Daniel… Yeah… Just heading that way…" She slowly made her way to the door, looking longingly at the scattered pieces of something-or-other on the table. Once she reached him and followed him down the hall, she added, "I'm surprised Dr. Lee's managed to keep a hold of as much as he has."

"Yeah. Guess Sam has been…well…judicious with what she's put in her reports to the bosses in DC." He smiled to himself at the thought. _Who would have thought that it would be Sam hiding things from her superiors? Taking after Jack a bit too much, maybe?_

He glanced over at Cassie to find a similar smirk on her face. Apparently they were having the same thought.

"So… First big off-world trip, huh?"

"Ha!" she laughed, "sure…huge. It's just Dakara. Re-working of the Tau'ri-Free Jaffa Treaty, blah blah blah. Not really a big deal."

If they had been walking along a dirt road, she would've been kicking pebbles in disappointment.

"Come on. It won't be _that_ bad. You get to hang out with Teal'c."

"Yeah, yeah…" Pebble pebble pebble…

"Think of it this way – Dakara today, your own SG team next week…" He nudged her, elbow to elbow.

"Right…" she laughed again. "Like that'll happen."

"What? Don't think Sam will trust you with your own team?"

"No. I don't think Jack'll want to have the training program all to himself." They both laughed at that thought. "It's not that I don't appreciate the chance to do something other than training exercises. It's just…"

"Not the glittering glory you've heard in all those SG-1 bedtime stories?" He smirked at her, receiving an eye roll in return.

"Yeah, yeah…" she repeated. "You're right. It won't be too terrible. Just, kinda looking for some action. Put these fantastic training skills to use, ya know?" They reached the command center, and made their way across to the stairs up to the briefing room.

"Hey," he helpfully added, "who knows? Maybe you'll get a pirate attack."

"Ha! Please. If these pirate factions are anything like their Lucian Alliance beginnings, I doubt seriously they'll feel brave enough to bother with a bunch of former Jaffa."

They reached the top of the stairs, turning into the briefing room and making their way to the table. At the other end of the room, Cassie could see Jack, Sam, and Teal'c in quiet conference in Sam's office.

"What's with that?" Daniel looked up at the question as he made his way to a seat, and she motioned toward the serious faces on the other side of the glass.

"Huh. Not sure…" His brow crinkled at the looks he saw on his friends' faces. _What _is_ that about? _It looked like a fairly grim discussion – Jack and Teal'c had determined looks on their faces, where as Sam had an almost devastated look.

_Whatever it is…it can't be good… Oh…maybe…_

"You haven't heard anything else about this trip…have you?" Cassie asked, taking a seat herself across the table from Daniel.

"No…" he answered distractedly, turning slowly away from the view of the office to find her staring him down. "No. I'm sure it's nothing." He always got the feeling that she was probing his mind when she stared at him like that… _Blank mind, Daniel. Think nothing…_ "Really. Nothing to worry about…"

"Uh huh…" was her unconvinced response.

He was saved from any further interrogation with the arrival of the two members of SG-7 that Cassie would be joining on the trip, followed by the trio in the office filing in. Seeing the assembled group, they managed to compose blank faces somewhat quickly.

"What do you think, Captain? Ready for some real action?" Colonel Ericks grinned as he took a set at the table.

"Real action, Colonel?" Cassie replied to the SG-7 leader with a respectfully annoyed look.

"As opposed to your regular action with the 'kiddies' on Charlie," he replied, continuing to smirk at her.

"It's _just_ a treaty discussion…" she grumbled in reply under her breath, with an exasperated sigh. _Seriously…what is the big deal?_

"Exactly, Captain," Sam stated, drawing the side conversation to a close. All attention turned to look at her, except Cassie who watched as Teal'c and Jack stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the control center, quietly conversing. "That is exactly why we aren't sending a full team. Colonel Ericks, you and Sergeant Gregson are merely acting as a representative display. Doctor Jackson will handle any discussions as far as the treaty itself is concerned." Sam cleared her throat, dragging Cassie's attention back to her. "As for you, Captain – you are there to observe. Consider it a…an extra level of training."

Cassie considering telling Sam exactly what she thought of the "extra level of training" she was being sent on, but thought better of it. She knew she should be annoyed at the basic errand run she was being sent on; the Colonel's poke was just for starters, she had no doubt. But she still couldn't help but feel there was something else going on. With the terse discussion in Sam's office, to the hushed whispers between the two old warriors at the stairs… _Heck, why is Jack even here! _After all this time, the man was still incapable of retiring completely…but this was still a bit odd…

"Captain?"

Cassie looked up, startled, at the quiet query to find Sam standing next to her. The rest of the group was slowly making their way down to, presumably, take care of any last minute details before they were set to 'gate out.

"Yeah…?" she replied as she stood up.

"You zoned out on me." The general gave her a little smirk, a blink-and-you'd-miss-it kind. "Look…I know it isn't the most thrilling mission –"

"It's not a mission at all," Cassie laughed. "General, I'm not upset about getting sent on a ride-along. Really," she added at the incredulous look she received. "Honest. Sure, lazy little trip to Dakara, hanging out with T and Bra'tac, get to see Ry'ac and the kiddies. It's just…" She glanced out the corner of her eye at Sam. _Hmm…yeah…let's go with the obvious… _"It's just the fact that every one keeps acting like it is, well, exactly what it is. Like it's a joke. Like I should be doing something as big as what they think I think this little trip is supposed to be…" She stopped in the hallway, having gone a bit too far into the created excuse and confused herself.

"Cass…" Sam started, stopping next to her in the quiet hallway. She couldn't figure out what to say, though. She knew it was hard for the young woman, everyone knowing her connections with not just the base CO, but SG-1 as a whole. It was a whole other level on top of being a… _How did Janet phrase it? A woman in 'this man's army'?_ Just like Sam though, Cassie had made her way in the program, running the training program like a seasoned general. _Of course…not exactly where she should be. She should be tinkering in '51…_

That was not a course of thought she wanted to go down.

Cassie looked up at her, concern written across her face. Apparently Sam had let her worries show, inadvertently.

"Go get ready. You leave in an hour…" She turned away to head back to her office, but stopped suddenly to give the younger woman a fierce quick hug. She turned away again, not looking Cass in the eye – afraid she would give more away – and rushed back down the hall.

Cassie just stared after her in confusion. _Okay…something is definitely going on…_

* * *

The small group stood at the end of the ramp, waiting for the 'gate to light up. Sam looked down at them from the briefing room window, not trusting herself to actually be able to face… _I can do this… It'll work out… It has too…_

Colonel Ericks and Sergeant Gregson stood to one side, relaxed and patient. Cassie stood a short distance from them, attempting a similar posture, but her look of confusion and concentration threw it off. Sam followed her gaze to find that she was looking at Jack, Teal'c, and Daniel who were in a tight conference just inside the gateroom door. When she turned back to Cassie, she found the gaze now directed at her. She turned away before meeting the young woman's eyes.

_It'll work out…_

Down in the gateroom, Cass hadn't missed the quick flinch from Sam as she disappeared from the window. She turned her attention back to yet another hushed conference, still in progress, trying to decipher what the three men were discussing. As the 'gate began dialing up, Jack looked up and caught her gaze. He gave her what she assumed was meant to be a reassuring smirk, but given the circumstances…she wasn't buying it.

"Chevron 7 locked…" came echoing out of the speakers as the familiar _kawoosh_ of the wormhole burst out and then settled. The conspiratorial huddle broke up as those leaving made their way to the ramp to head out.

"Have fun, kiddo," Jack said, playfully punching her shoulder.

"Uh huh…"

"What?" came the too-sweet response. The continued gaze was tough to ignore, but thankfully time was of the essence. "Don't miss your…um…group…" He turned her back towards the 'gate, giving her a little shove. "Have fun," he repeated.

Cassie turned to glower over her shoulder at him, not missing both his evading gaze as well as Teal'c's close hovering. Jack gave her a little wave as she reached the top of the ramp. Just as she turned to make her way through the event horizon, she caught his face fall as quickly as his arm.

She had a split second to contemplate all the pieces she had before being reduced to molecules through the wormhole. After being pieced back together on the other end, there was another split second to continue the contemplation before registering the sounds of gunplay ringing around her.

"What the–?" Teal'c directed her down the stairs of the Dakara Stargate, attempting to get to cover. The weight of his hand on her shoulder disappeared as she took in the scene. "You've got to be kidding me?" The absurdity of what in front of her stopped her dead.

The zat blast came from just out of her periphery. She fell, kicking herself for making the ridiculously rookie mistake. Her vision blurred as she tried to assess where the rest of the SGC group was. She could just barely make out Daniel wrestling off to one side, Ericks and Gregson dodging and ducking on the steps. Teal'c must have been off behind her somewhere.

She saw dusty boots walk directly into her view, standing just a foot or so from her. And as the man raised his zat again at her, she had a final split second thought…

_Pirates on Dakara… Wistful wishes…_

* * *

The waiting is always the hardest part. She'd heard it from General Hammond, General Landry, even occasionally from Jack. Every time a team went out, there were always unknowns and possibilities. There was no guarantee of who would come back…

Sam's head, somewhat involuntarily, landed on her desk, thankfully cushioned by a stack of reports and miscellaneous paper-formed annoyances. Jack found her that way, incomprehensible mumblings echoing from through the desk.

"Hey ya General…" He walked into the office but stopped just inside the door, unsure if he should keep back or comfort. "How's it going?"

"You know…I never used to be this…impatient…" she said, raising her head and peeling a post-it off her forehead. She watched as he walked over and took one of the two seats in front of the desk.

"You never really believe the warnings your predecessors tell you until you're right smack in the middle of them." She blinked over at him. "What?" She just rolled her eyes and reacquainted her head with the desk. He reached over and patted her head. "Come on, Sam. It'll be okay…"

When she didn't reply, he sighed and leaned back in the chair. _Yeah…I have my doubts too…_

They sat that way for what seemed like an exorbitant amount of time, until the alarms ringing through the hall had them startling up and running down to the control center.

"Unscheduled off-world activation"

The announcement usually sent a shiver of adrenaline down her spine, but this time Sam nearly skipped a step as she shook.

"What is it Walter?"

"It's SG-7's IDC, ma'am."

"Open it," she snapped, a bit more harshly than she'd wanted. _It's too soon… They've only been gone, what…? _She glanced down at her wrist and found a blurred watch face. _Too soon…_

She watched as Ericks and Gregson made their way through the 'gate, the sergeant holding up the older man. Sam directed Walter to get medical down there before she made her own way to the gateroom. She found Jack had beaten her there, the first to meet the two airmen as they hit the bottom of the ramp.

"Colonel? What happened to 'peaceful treaty renewal'?" he asked incredulously.

"Pirates" was the short reply as Ericks managed to sit on the edge of the ramp. Sam saw the severity of his leg wound as she made her way up to them, a medical response team rushing in behind her. She stepped off to the side to allow them through.

"Where's the rest of your group, Colonel?" She didn't like the look she got in response.

"Doctor Jackson was right behind us…" Gregson replied breathlessly, looking back up to the ramp like he expected the archaeologist to just pop right out of the event horizon on cue. "Teal'c…I didn't see where he…"

Jack reached over and snatched Ericks' radio just as the medical team hefted him up to transport him down to the infirmary.

"Daniel? Daniel, come in."

"Jack?" came the scratchy response, a spattering of gunfire and zat and staff blasts going off behind him.

"Daniel, what the hell's going on?"

"Apparently Cassie's estimation of the intelligence of pirate factions was a bit off." There was a pause and it sounded as if he was running. "They seem to have caught on to how colossally stupid the idea was, however. The Jaffa have them on the run. Doesn't look too bad… More of a loud clatter than anything else…"

"Can you make it back through the 'gate?" Sam asked after taking the offered radio from Jack.

"I'm going to check in with Teal'c, see if I can't find him and Cassie. I…um…it was pretty hectic at the 'gate…" The hesitation in his voice could be heard clearly through the radio static.

Jack, seeing Sam freeze, took back the radio.

"Just dial back when you find 'em, alright? I'm sure T's got her tucked someplace keeping the kids calm."

Daniel promised he'd get back in touch as soon as he knew more and quietly signed off, the 'gate following suit. Sam sensed motion around her, vaguely heard Jack tell Gregson to get down to the infirmary and get checked out. A part of her figured she should be irked at the way he was taking control of _her _command.

The majority of her mind was fraught with worry.

_It was too soon…_

* * *

A quick two hours later, both Ericks and Gregson made their way up to the briefing room. As bad as the colonel had looked, it appeared it was just worth a few stitches, more bark than bite. Jack had steered Sam back up to her office, and they were just headed out of it to meet up with the SG-7 members when an alarm sounded.

"Unscheduled off-world activation"

Sam wondered how she had never noticed the slight lull in Walter's voice when he made that announcement. As if years of doing it had just taken all the panic out of it.

"Probably Daniel," Jack quietly said next to her, wordlessly offering to go meet their friend. She nodded, thankful for the help.

He knew when to stand in for her, and when to simply stand by. Perfect balance.

"Have a seat, gentleman" she said, taking her own seat at the head of the table. "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened, before we get Doctor Jackson's view." Her stern voice spoke volumes. _How exactly did the two of you make it back together, but a young captain left in your care is still, as of right now, missing?_

"It happened so fast…" Gregson started, before his CO smartly cut him off.

"It was a mad rush, is what it was, ma'am. It appears we caught the little group making a quick get-away just as we dialed in." Ericks sounded as if he was rehearsing exactly what he would type in his report with each succinct statement. "That is the best way I can explain the chaos we encountered upon exiting through the 'gate. Most of the pirate faction was on the steps and the surrounding area, with the Jaffa closing in on them from the opposite side."

"The rest of our group?" she asked shortly, expecting his answer. She had seen how they had entered on this side, Daniel, Teal'c, and Cassie in the front, eager to get the politics over and done with and see old friends. There hadn't been any need for worry…

"Doctor Jackson made his way through to the Jaffa contingent on the left, Teal'c and Captain Fraiser to the right. Gregson and myself were pinned to the steps, having come through last and the shock of our arrival fading. It was a fairly small group of bandits, and they quickly reversed their exit strategy through the Jaffa and out towards the ships."

"The Jaffa have reported two tel'taks missing," Daniel announced as he made his way up the stairs. He looked tired and a bit worn down, but no worse than the other two had appeared. "Teal'c stayed behind to help," he added as Jack joined him at the end of the table. Neither man sat, their faces blank.

"And Captain Fraiser?" Sam asked, uncertainly. She watched as Daniel's hand clenched tighter around whatever he was holding.

"I…um…I saw her hit just as she and Teal'c made it clear of the 'gate. It was a zat blast, no doubt about that… I turned away, trying to find cover and…um…see what was…going on…" He paused and Sam found herself unable to look away as his face fell.

"Daniel…?"

"I saw it out the corner of my eye… I couldn't see exactly where he was aiming, but…" Another pause. "Sam… I…" A heavy sigh. "It was two more zat blasts… When I looked up I…" His fist clenched again, before releasing its prisoner onto the table. "It's all I could find…"

On the table lay a chain and tags.

_Too soon…_


	3. Part Three

Part Three

_One year later…_

No one really ever expected the IOA to admit why they wanted Captain Fraiser transferred to Area 51. Why they _really_ wanted her. That would be, well, anti-productive.

And yet, the requests and mandates that had filtered into Stargate Command in the last year all but screamed it.

_Any evidence of Goa'uld presence on any investigated planet must be passed on to the IOA for further investigation…_

_Any evidence of an Ancient presence on any investigated planet must be passed on for further IOA investigation…_

_Any suggestion of possible continued 'hok'tar' experimentation found must be reported to the appropriate department for further investigation…_

They were subtly tucked into reminders that technology and other items of interest found on planets were to be routed to Area 51. Evidently, the IOA had an inkling that General Carter was not completely acquiescing to their innocent and simple requests.

_Just in case you forgot…_ Sam thought to herself with every notice. The memos grated at her, as usual; but the vague queries towards anything even remotely associated with Cassie, or any other unique individuals, was slowly pulling at that inevitable last straw.

Pulling. Strangling. Slapping silly…

The biggest yank had filtered across her desk just last week. It seemed that the IOA was also reaching their last straw. They were now requesting their own team. To be kept at Cheyenne Mountain on standby as 'an immediate response for such investigations as those previously referenced'.

"And this was approved, by who?" Daniel asked incredulously, flinging the file back onto Sam's desk. He flopped into one of the leather chairs and Sam almost laughed at how very like Jack his response was.

"Who knows…" she reluctantly admitted, the laugh dying before it could even crack a smile. "I honestly don't even recognize anyone at Homeworld Security any more. And I seriously doubt it's gone higher than that in years."

"I'm guessing you don't have any say in who makes up this team? What they have access to?"

"Ha! No… The selection process will be the privilege of Senator Rickson." This time the laugh did make its way out, sharp and harsh. The way she said Rickson's name was the same. "But this is still my command. And I'm sure he already knows – I'll fight him every step of the way. I…" She couldn't finish the thought. Not out loud. But Daniel understood.

_The fight well and truly started a year ago…_

"Any idea if he's bringing people in? Or do we have infiltrators in our midst already?" he asked, pushing on.

"A little of both, I think." She handed him another file. He flipped through, nods here, groans there.

"Gregson?" He looked up in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah…that one I thought was a bit odd," Sam responded, leaning back in her chair, "until I went back through old logs. You know he requested to be on that…Dakara trip? Traded with Johnson."

The shock turned to aggravation.

"They had feelers in here that early on? What did they think you were going to do?"

"I guess they figured we'd take any opportunity to get her off-world. It was a week before her report date, Daniel. And she hadn't stepped a foot through the 'gate in nearly three months. I'm sure they were amazed we waited that long." She leaned her head back with an exasperated sigh, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Sam…" Daniel said, leaning forward in his chair and onto her desk.

"She's gone, Daniel." She sat back up, leaning towards him over the desk, mirroring his pose. "They can't get to her. And that's all that matters."

He sighed, pushing his glasses up to rub the bridge of his nose. _Yeah…still sucks…_

"Speaking of Gregson… You get their official report from M1X-031?"

_Not a complete change of subject, but enough. Slick Daniel._

"Yeah. And given the addendum to the latest memo, we can assume Rickson has too." She handed him yet another report – the one in question. "I need you and Mitchell to head out there ASAP. We need to find out what's going on before Rickson gets here."

"What about Gregson?"

"SG-7's on stand-down. Normal procedure." She grinned mischievously. "They haven't had a decent medical review in some time. So, it's safe to say Sergeant Gregson will be busy."

Daniel couldn't help but return the grin. _It's been awhile…_ Of course, he knew the grin wasn't directed toward the young sergeant – there was no telling what lies he'd been told. He had no doubt Sam was more concerned in throwing as many wrenches into Rickson's plans as possible.

* * *

"Alright," Mitchell said as he made his way out the 'gate, "run me through this again."

"Alright," Daniel laughed. "We need to figure out exactly what information SG-7 got from here, that they may not have put into their report, as soon as possible."

"Right."

"We need to find out if there are any, quote – Ancienty folk – un-quote, here, as hinted at in their report, as soon as possible."

"Gotcha."

"We need to convince said 'person of interest' to run, and convince the rest of the people here to forget all about them."

"As soon as possible."

"Which, given our luck, will result in utter failure."

"Nice, Jackson. Real nice."

The two men stood at the bottom of steps leading to the Stargate, looking out over the gathering in front of them. Essentially, it looked like a marketplace. Stalls and stands evenly lined along either side of a main pathway, leading off into the distance and (according to the report) the village proper. Currently empty of activity, it appeared to be an off-season.

It was a simple place, just like many others they had seen throughout the galaxy. On the outside, one would describe it as medieval, a renaissance faire feel to it. But Mitchell had read the report, so he knew there was that hidden level of tech behind the burlap and wood.

"Why exactly was SG-7 so focused on this maybe-maybe not mystic, instead of the rumors of a huge tech-producing planet, anyway?" he mused out loud as they made their way through the empty market.

"They asked about both, apparently. But there was a little too much attention being paid to the subject of their _healer,_ and that didn't seem to have sat well with the locals."

"So what makes Carter think we can get any more out of them?"

"Well…hopefully we can assure them that we're not here to do any damage. We are hoping to ensure that no harm comes to them or their healer, and no one abuses their generosity."

"And, of course, make peace so we can take a look at the tech on the main planet."

Daniel looked askance at the colonel with a smirk.

"Of course."

It had been one of those rare instances where the planet they were visiting really had no need of the usually offers SGC gave. They had medicine, food, tech – all the basics were covered. They were also fortunate enough to have been fairly capable at avoiding long-term damage from wannabe-gods. A few Goa'ulds had attempted to rule over the moon, but saw nothing worthwhile and eventually lost interest. The Ori, of course, just wanted followers, so they tried a bit harder, but ended with the same result. The people on this moon just had no use for religion.

As for the planet…well…no one had been there. So no one could really say what beliefs they held; or, as some had suggested, if it even existed.

They eventually came to a small field, laid out on either side of the path between the marketplace and the village proper. The lack of growth in the fields, as well as the solitary figure roaming them, further suggested the off-season idea.

The young woman looked up in shock at the approaching figures, searching around her for help.

"Hi," Daniel said cheerfully, waving over at her. They both had stopped just at the edge of the field, not wanting to frighten her any more than they apparently had. "We just wanted to talk."

"Naasa! Naasa! Look what I found!"

The woman was obviously not alone, and hadn't been searching for help. She dashed a few rows over to snatch a young girl, who had just popped up from a ditch, and tried to hide her.

"Okay, okay. It's okay. We're not here to cause any trouble. We just want to talk," Daniel repeated, hoping they wouldn't run. He guessed the girl had said something, because the woman had looked down at her and shook her head. "Look…um… Naasa? I'm Daniel and this is Cam. We know you may have met or heard about others who look like us. We're just…uh…here to…"

"Clean up their mess?" Mitchell suggested under his breath.

"Nice," Daniel shot back at him, getting a shrug in return.

"You are from Earth? The Tau'ri?" Both men gave up the glare contest and turned to find Naasa had come within a few rows of them, the young girl shyly peeking out from behind her legs.

"Yes. Yes, we are."

Simple statement, but it was the way he said it that always told Mitchell it was a good idea to let Daniel do the talking.

"We have nothing more to say to the Tau'ri." The reply was enough confirmation for the woman, as she turned to walk away.

"Great. Fantastic reputation Ericks' team has given us," Mitchell groaned.

"Wait!" Daniel called while running after Naasa.

Mitchell watched as he caught up with her and reached out for her arm to stop her. She pulled out of his reach, but stopped. _Yeah…he's got that effect on people_, he thought watching the woman's face turn from annoyance to polite attention as Daniel talked.

He watched the exchange, trying to decipher exactly what magic words the archaeologist was using this time around, when he was distracted by a gentle pull on his pants leg. He looked down to see the young girl staring up at him curiously, a stuffed animal loosely hanging in one small fist.

"Uh…hi…"

"Hi."

"What's your name, short-stuff?"

"An'ya. And I'm not short. I'm young. What's your name? Tall-guy?"

"I'm Cam." He laughed, kneeling down to her level. "Who's this guy?" he asked, pointing at the toy.

"Pluto…" she hesitantly answered, hiding the animal behind her back.

Before he could ask more, she skipped off towards Daniel and Naasa. Mitchell followed, sensing a bit more calm surrounding the woman.

_Was that a smile, even? All right Jackson!_

"I explained the issue to Naasa. Told her we just wanted to talk to their healer, and make sure nobody has any reason to come after him. Or…her… Still unclear on that part."

"Simple enough."

"Yeah," Daniel continued, "…still a bit stuck on the secrecy. It's a typical ideal in a small community like this. And you consider the different types of outside influence that has attempted to force itself onto them. We see it all the time. Just a lack of ability to trust right out. Self-preservation."

"Not gonna argue with ya, Jackson. Marketplace is the front, village is home. Let's just hope that us wanting to help their doc makes us a bit more trustworthy."

"We'll see…"

They made their way through the village, meandering through alleys and around small houses. No one out and about took much notice of them, simply offering nods of greeting to Naasa and happy waves and smiles to An'ya. The houses began to thin out, becoming fewer and fewer along the road, until they were walking through another blank field. An'ya skipped ahead, evidently knowing the way.

"Jackson…" Mitchell said under his breath, "where the heck does this doctor live, anyway?" He looked over and found Daniel giving him a look he was sure was the equal to the one on his own face. "I'm getting the feeling her change of mind is turning out to be a little too convenient…"

"Yeah…" was the quiet response. Archaeologist he may be, but after a decade-plus with SG-1, Daniel had developed that keen military sense of suspicion and caution.

"She does it for the safety and consideration of the village."

Both men looked at each other in shock, apparently incorrectly assuming their musings were going unnoticed by their guide.

"Her, as well as the healer before her, have stayed on the far outskirts of our land to ensure those that may come looking for them do not effect the peace of our village," Naasa elaborated. "It is up to us as to what we do with requests from travelers."

"But you wouldn't tell SG-7 – the folks that came before us – anything about…her," Daniel said as they closed the distance and came to walk side-by-side with Naasa.

"We did not, no. They seemed, well, as you said – 'up to no good'. However, after they left, the healer insisted she should leave as well. She knew that others would follow." She paused, looking up to find An'ya picking flowers up ahead. "We did not want her to leave, and she agreed to face whomever comes next herself. We, in turn, agreed to give whatever help we may be able to provide, should she need it. We may want to keep to ourselves, but we are not wont to send away those in need."

"In need?"

"Yes. It was evident that the healer had been traveling a great deal, but was searching for a place to settle. For An'ya more than herself, I believe."

"Oh… She isn't your daughter?" Daniel asked, following her gaze to see the girl had settled with her bright bouquet and returned to running ahead on the path.

"No," Naasa laughed. "An'ya came with the healer. But I do not believe she is her daughter either. Just similar beings that were drawn to each other."

They reached the edge of a small forest to find a small home, a young boy sitting on a log just outside of it. Another boy was making his way out the door, followed by a young woman.

"Alright. That's the last time. Next time you two go goofing around in trees, I'm gonna make you patch yourselves up."

"We can't do that. That's a grown up's job," the young boy returned.

"Yeah, well not only are you big enough to know better, you've both seen me do it enough times that you should be able to do it blindfolded." She laughed at them, as the smaller boy joined his friend in front of her. "Go on. Just watch out for those nasty branches from now on, huh?"

The older boy took off like a shot, but the younger one stayed.

"Healer…would you teach me?" he asked, barely audible from where they were walking up.

She kneeled down to him and nodded, talking just loud enough for him to hear. She stood up, ruffling his hair and sending him after his friend, her gaze following him up the path until she finally noticed the approaching group.

Daniel froze as her face fell. She was dressed, as he had seen the villagers, Naasa and An'ya too, in loose pants, a simple long-sleeved tunic, and long vest. Her hair was short, just brushing her shoulders, the auburn slightly bleached from the sun. Even her skin was a bit darker than her normal pale. But even with all that, even from that distance, he knew her.

"Cassie! Cassie!" An'ya called as she finished her run right in front of the house, holding up her captured flowers. "Aren't they pretty?"

"Gorgeous! Wanna go put 'em in water? And then wash up. It's your turn to make dinner."

"Is not," An'ya called behind her as she made her way into the house.

"Soooo is."

"Isn't!" echoed out the door.

"Is," Cassie sang in reply, before turning back to the three still in the yard. She paused for a moment, looking over at Daniel and Mitchell, avoiding their questioning gazes. "Naasa? Join us for dinner?"

"No, thank you," the older woman smiled at her. "I need to head back to start dinner myself. The boys will be returning by now." She started to walk back towards the village, giving a nod to both gentlemen, before turning back. "Be sure to…call…if you need anything."

Cassie nodded her thanks and watched as Naasa made it back down the path. Giving up on avoiding the obvious, she turned to the guys.

"Dinner, gents? It's no Salisbury steak…" she grinned solemnly, waving them into the house. "But she is a pretty decent cook. With a little help."

* * *

"You know, I'm starting to feel a little left out," Mitchell said, grabbing another cracker from the tray on the table. "I haven't had my near-death-practically-dead-risen-from-the-dead experience yet."

Cassie and Daniel just glared at him from the other side of the table.

"It's like you guys are forming a secret Stargate sleepers club, or something."

"Yeah…it's been a real hoot," Daniel quipped. "Can't wait to do it again." Mitchell just cocked an eyebrow at him in a near-perfect Teal'c impression. "Anyway…" he continued, turning to Cassie, "what happened after we got to Dakara?"

"What? You didn't know?" Cassie asked, only slightly astonished. _Should've figured that little plan was drenched in secrecy…_ She looked out into the other room, ensuring An'ya was ensconced in whatever little game she was playing and out of hearing.

"I knew they had a plan to get you off-world, but I didn't think _that_ was gonna happen. Teal'c told me when SG-7 left, once I finally tracked him down." He paused. "Did you know?"

"Know I was gonna get shot? Or that they were trying to get me off-world?"

"Either."

"Neither."

He looked up at her and saw anger creeping into her eyes.

"Neither? What, you didn't know…?"

"Anything. Daniel, I don't even know why they wanted me off-world, much less dead."

"Oh geez…" _Smooth Jack…_ "Well…ummm…"

"Thought you were skipping out on a transfer?" Mitchell interrupted.

"What?!" Cassie asked, now completely shocked.

"The transfer to '51. Although, I always figured you wanted to be a tech-guru. You take after Carter in that way." He was oblivious to the gawking faces of the other two at the table, which slowly turned to innocent looks as they remembered he didn't know the whole story.

"Uh…Cam…there's uh…something we should…" Daniel glanced cautiously at Cassie, who just laughed.

"What?" Mitchell asked at the laugh.

"I always told you there was a file I'd read that you hadn't."

It was his turn to gawk, looking back and forth between the two before landing on Daniel.

"Mission 30185? Seriously? I thought you guys were pulling my chain with that!"

"Well, we were…sort of…" Daniel laughed. "It isn't about the trip to 1969… But we really couldn't tell you about it."

Cassie laughed at the staring contest that had commenced, sneaking out to get An'ya ready for bed. Daniel gave as concise a rundown as possible, shockingly without interruptions from Mitchell who simply stared and tried to take it all in.

When she came back, they were in a match-off, trying to see who could come up with the worst insult of the IOA as possible. She stood in the doorway, watching the two of them laughing and tossing verbal abuse around.

She never really knew Mitchell as well as the rest. Sure, he was always invited for team get-togethers and such. But it wasn't the same as with Daniel and Teal'c (whenever he was Earthside), and even less as it was with Jack and Sam. But even so, just watching them sitting there, she could forget where she was, forget what was going on and why she was where she was, forget it all.

_Man, I miss home…_

Mitchell's watch chimed, interrupting her thoughts and their fun.

"I should go check in with Carter. Keep up appearances and stuff." He stood up, just then noticing Cassie in the doorway. "Hey…"

"You can't tell her, Colonel. You can't tell her I'm here." He looked like he was going to argue, but she cut him off. "You call that through on the radio, you don't know who will hear it."

He considered arguing again, but the look on her face, and Daniel's when he turned to look, said it all.

"Yeah…alright. I'll be back."

She walked him to the door, giving him a lantern and sending him on his way, letting him know that if he got lost, anybody in the village would help him out.

"You sure he can get help in the village?" Daniel asked her as she walked back to the little table.

"Sure. You guys have been here all afternoon, into the evening, without so much as a whistle of trouble. If any one doubted you, they would have shown up." She sat, picking absently petals off the flowers An'ya had brought in.

"Cass…" he started, hesitantly.

"It's alright Daniel." She sighed. "I know why they did it. I do. I get it. Doesn't mean I can't be angry about it."

"Yeah…I get it."

"You do, don't you?" She gave him a sad smirk. "Tossed around to different homes, trying to find one that fits… It's just…I thought I found it. SGC was home. After everything… If Janet had to stay late, or hang out with a patient, whatever – I found myself in a bunkroom a dozen-odd stories down. Or with a random airmen, if she had to go off-world for any amount of time. And after…" She paused. "Even when I went to Nevada with Sam, it was the same. Not as much, but still – lunches at Nellis, secret conversations about what little bit of tech came through. But then she left too… And Jack was in DC… And Teal'c left… And you left…" She paused again.

He had inklings about what had happened while Sam was in Atlantis. No one really talked about it, but everyone figured it had to be something big to get Jack to step in and take her to DC. And he knew how she felt. All the times he left homes when he was a kid, felt like he would never find a home where he would belong. He felt the same way she did, when he joined SG-1. And all the times he thought he might lose it…

_But I was never pushed as far away as this..._

"So how'd you get out of Dakara? Where'd you go?" His curiosity of what she did with her galactic freedom was getting the better of him.

"After I woke up and realized I hadn't been zatted to oblivion?" She laughed. "Teal'c let me in on some of his and Jack's plan – just like you, after the fact. Left some details out, of course, but the disappearing act was a combination of misdirection and a variant of the Sodan cloaking device. When all was said and done, Teal'c took me off to the back of the camp, set me up with a tel'tak and told me to leave. Don't come back. And make sure no one – not even him or Jack – could track me down. No explanation, no clue, nothing. All he gave me was this," she said, pulling a small notebook out from a pocket and setting it on the table.

Daniel picked it up, recognizing it as her 'gate address book. He'd caught her a couple times, during a late night on duty, sitting at the dialing computer and diligently jotting down addresses with brief details. He thought Mitchell had snatched it from her at some point, but guessed Jack must have snatched it back.

"I bounced around a bit," she continued, "picking addresses and coordinates at random, attempting to remember all the 'techniques' Vala ever told me. The cargo ship was 'tricked out', according to Teal'c. Cloaking device, a bit of weaponry, A/C, etc, etc. Easy enough to land in an empty patch of wherever and chill for a bit, before moving on. Even ran into the pirate who shot me, hung with them for a bit. I felt like a gypsy, just wandering around aimlessly… Lost…"

"And…An'ya?"

"Ahh…An'ya… Yeah… After about three months or so, I had just barely skipped out from under…well… Let's just say not _all_ of Vala's tricks work. I made a random jump, short. Landed on the first planet I saw. It was…desolate – absolute ghost town. Figured it was a good place to crash for a bit. The ship is actually pretty cozy, with a little work, so no need to go out. But I usually kept the sensors running, just in case. Started making a ruckus late that night. Life signs coming from the far edge of the closest town. Trick was, there was nothing out there. I'd seen it when I'd flown over. Just…desert. Nothing…"

She stopped, the flower she'd pulled from the vase suddenly crushed in her hand.

"It was another of Nirrti's experimental villages." Daniel gasped, but she kept going. "The life signs were coming from two young teens and An'ya. They'd been in an underground lab, hence the sensors not picking them up before then. When I found them, they were barely alive – the teens that is. They had gone to that spot, like others before them, hoping their _god_ would finely return and save them. But, of course, she was nowhere to be found.

"They had been living that way since Nirrti met her…unfortunate end. Same as me – they would hit 16 and then be compelled to make their way to a random spot in the desert. Make it to the lab, wait…return…die. It got to the point where they felt the need to live as much as they could in that short time. Started marrying and having kids by 12…10… An'ya's mom had been 15. Ancient as far as any one was concerned.

"The two I'd met, Pat'r and Sa'ya, were the last… They didn't make it through the night… An'ya just sat off to the side, singing to herself…"

He could see the memory flashing across her face, and memories of his own circled his head. He remembered watching Janet try frantically to find some way to save Cassie from the twisted heredity Nirrti had instilled in her genes.

"Pat'r and Sa'ya had been the third couple to look after her. She just turned 6…" The unspoken thought was there between them – _Ten years left…_ Almost as if she heard the thought pass between them, her head shot up and she gave Daniel a stern, determined look so reminiscent of Janet it startled him. "It won't be the same with her. I know it won't. I have all of Mom's research, all her notes. She kept looking into it, ya know. After I got better. Just in case…well, just in case it happened again…"

The argument petered out and she seemed to deflate as quickly as her argument. _Leave…don't come back…don't be found…_

All the help she knew she could turn to was on Earth. And, as far as she knew, she couldn't go back.

"Is that why you're here?" Daniel quietly asked. "Naasa…she said you were their healer…" He was surprised to hear her laugh, as slight as it was.

"'Healer'. It's just a name, a title. These folks don't need anything more than the basics, as I'm sure SG-7 found out."

He looked at her over the rim of his glasses. She sounded sincere enough, but he'd also worked along side Jack O'Neill long enough to recognize sincere bull when he heard it. He was about to say just that when they both turned at the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"Carter sends her blessings," Mitchell said as he made his way through the small house. "Check in tomorrow – same bat-time, etc etc." He stopped in the doorway; catching the glare Daniel had resumed aiming at Cassie, one that Cassie was somewhat easily avoiding. "Am I interrupting?"

"Perfectly" she said, hopping up from the chair. "How about I get your beds ready? Getting late…" And with that, she brushed past him and away from Daniel's sputtering complaints.

"She's quick," Mitchell laughed, taking her seat and giving a curious look at the crushed petals on the table.

"She's been around Jack a bit too much…"

"Well, I guess she has a valid reason to be a little skittish. With everything you told me… I mean, geez…"

"Yeah…" Daniel replied, leaning back in the chair. "I'm starting to think there's more. Which means we may very well be screwed…"

* * *

Daniel woke to find a pair of curious stormy blue-green eyes gazing at him.

"Hi…"

"Hi," An'ya said cheerfully before cocking her head with a slight frown. "Are you going to bring the bad man here?"

"What?" he replied drearily, rubbing he's eyes and patting his head loosely, searching for glasses. "What bad man?"

"The bad man who wants to take Cassie away…"

"The…what?" He sat up, trying to figure out exactly what the young girl was talking about before Cassie came in, shooing her into the kitchen.

"Come on, you. Breakfast. And then off to school."

"Ahhh…do I have to?" came the groan as little feet stomped off into the other room. Cassie and Daniel followed, as Mitchell popped his head out from under blankets to blink sleepily after them.

"Yes. Learning is good. School is good. Knowledge – good." Cassie went about fixing up a bowl of what Daniel was almost convinced was this end of the galaxy's version of corn flakes, setting it down in front of the girl with a 'thump'. It seemed this argument was a frequent one.

"I liked it better when Dinah was teaching me… She made it fun," the girl pouted, poking at her breakfast.

"I know, I know," Cass replied solemnly. She paused in pulling out what she needed for fixing up drinks before continuing in that same somber tone. "Dinah's gone, though…so…"

"No she's not."

"She is, An'ya. You know that."

"Nu-uh. I saw her."

That had Cassie completely giving up on what she was doing, turning to look at the young girl with barely suppressed shock creeping across her face. Daniel had been watching the exchange with amusement that turned into sudden concern.

"Saw her…where? When?"

"Last night."

"An'ya…"

"It wasn't a dream," she cut off the obvious argument. "She was here. In my room. She said that the bad man was coming, and I had to be brave. And strong. And listen to whatever you said, 'cause you'd know what to do."

Daniel looked back and forth between the confident gaze of one and the confused concern of the other. Cassie was speechless, but recovered quickly with a glance at him, and Mitchell standing in the doorway behind him.

"An'ya – finish your breakfast. We'll be just outside…" She turned to walk out the room, motioning the men to follow, but stopped short when An'ya replied.

"To have a big person talk someplace I can't hear." She looked up from her bowl and Cassie stared right back at her.

"Yes. That. Eat."

They made their way just outside the front door. Cassie hit the bottom step, standing in the light rain that had started.

"Sooo…" Daniel started. "Dinah? The last healer, I presume?"

"Yeah…" she responded, staring off blankly.

"Cass…"

"We'd bounced around a bit, but I figured the kid could do with some, I dunno, normality." She bounded right into the story, as if the quicker she got it over with, the quicker they could deal with it. "I'd heard about the market, so decided to stop. Stock up. We landed just over there, made our way into the town. It wasn't until our way back that we met Dinah. She…umm…she invited us in. Sweet old lady-like…"

"She died?" Mitchell asked.

"Technically…"

"Technically? What's that mean?"

"She ascended," Daniel stated flatly. "She was an Ancient. That was the story that got SG-7 so interested."

"She wasn't." Daniel looked at her questioningly. "Not really. Couple generations removed." At his doubting look, she added, "How else did you expect that gene to make it's way from straight-up to nothing, and back again? You need dilution for evolution."

He turned to square off with her.

"An'ya said she was teaching her… Teaching you too, I bet. What – " He stopped at her exasperated sigh. She dragged her hands through her damp hair.

"It didn't stop, ya know. After…after that year, after my birthday. It just kinda went on pause. I wasn't actively seeking out super powers. I just never noticed that I could, ya know, still do things. It wasn't until the accident…" She paused, realizing she was going into unspoken territory. "There was an incident at school, while I was in Nevada. It…it's not important. Just…it could've been a lot worse. It's like I unconsciously tapped into it…"

"Jack knows…" Daniel added, hesitantly. "You told him…"

"Of course I told him. It's Jack! You can't not tell him stuff. Not when he's got that O'Neill gaze gazing at you. All…gazerily… It made me think, though. Made me realize I still had…skills… But I still didn't bother with 'em. Too much trouble woulda come from it. But Dinah… It was like she could read it on me. She said she'd seen it before. Others on her homeworld. Her too. So she taught me. Taught me how to use it." Now she got excited, as if she was convincing herself as much as them that it was all good. "It's not just making chess pieces fly around. It's balancing acts. Heal – hurt. Life – death. She taught me to see levels and layers, to read them in everything around us. Then she taught me how to adjust 'em, how to balance them."

There was a peaceful quiet as the information circled brains, the rain pattering softly on the roof of the house and the small porch the men stood under.

"An'ya…" It wasn't a question, really. Cassie could see it in Daniel's eyes as he said it. He could see what she had done with the knowledge she'd gained.

"Every night. I can see the little triggers, the little changes. I can see how they could build up to…to that big change. I…I don't know how much of a difference I'm making… But, it has changed her. She sees things more clearly, knows things… She's intuitive. Sharp." She looked from his knowing gaze to Mitchell's slightly confused one and smiled. "Still has to go to school though. She gets reading, writing, etcetera, with the rest of the village kids. Couple of times a week, Naasa takes her out to the fields to teach her about planting and harvesting. And, a couple times a week we sit here, and I teach her…well…about her. About us."

"It's raining." The quiet comment had all three turning to the door to see An'ya standing there, bag on her back and pout on her face.

"Hmm," Cassie replied with a grin. "Rain…and a walk to school… Sounds like a perfect early morning brain-stretcher. Whatever will we do?"

The girl paused, finger to chin, thinking.

"Create an electro-static field around us to repel the rain while we walk?"

"Ha! Or maybe…an umbrella." The older girl laughed, turning the younger around and patting her bum. "Cheater."

"Nu-uh."

"Lazy bum!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Slacker!" Cassie sang, turning back to the guys.

"So, this visit from Dinah? You believe her?" Daniel asked.

"No doubt. And I have no doubt she came with the nasty news, too."

"Why's that?" Mitchell chimed in.

"Please, when have you ever known an Ascended Being to just pop in and say hi?" She threw a smirk in Daniel's direction, laughing when Mitchell did the same and Daniel frowned in response. An'ya skipped back to the door, a makeshift umbrella in hand. As she got out onto the grass, she opened it and motioned for Cassie to hurry up. "You gents want to tag along?" She paused just past the steps to look back coyly at them. "Or would you rather stay here and rummage through the house?"

"Well…we could come along…" Mitchell started.

"It would be interesting to see the school…" Daniel continued.

"Uh huh." Cassie wasn't convinced.

"Why did they even try? You know they wanna snoop" came the voice of reason. The men stared at the young girl in shock, while Cass just laughed.

"They're just trying to be polite. Come on." She took An'ya's hand and started off, calling back to them that she'd be back shortly.

"Man…kid's just like her," Mitchell joked as they made their way back into the house.

"Exactly like her." Daniel threw him a look to ensure the colonel understood exactly what he was implying with the statement.

"Ah. Well, that clears that conversation up."

* * *

Snoop they did. No out and out tearing the place apart, or anything like that. Just curiosity. For Mitchell, it was a way to learn a little bit more about this young woman who was so connected with his friends.

For Daniel, it was a way to see how Cassie dealt with the path she was sent on. There were knick-knacks on shelves, evidence of where she had traveled. There were toys and bits on lower levels, signs of the younger inhabitant. He wasn't sure what the tel-tak might have looked like, but he could see what she meant by living a gypsy life, even assuming some of the pieces belonged to Dinah.

He paused in his perusing on a shelf of pictures. One was a much younger Cassie, with a much younger SG-1, and he recognized it from shortly after the decision was made to keep her on Earth. He laughed at the sight of the puppy Jack had in his lap. _Poor pup didn't last long at Janet's…_ _Speaking of…_ Tucked in the frame of that picture, Daniel was surprised to see Janet's badge. He would have thought that would have had to be turned in, but wasn't really shocked to see that someone had snuck it to Cass. A few other pictures from graduations, a birthday or holiday or two, and one curious picture of her and An'ya finished off the shelf.

_Wonder where she got that… Obviously must be ways of making images throughout the galaxy aside from paintings and writings… It would be interesting to see how similar…_ His thoughts had him turning from the shelf to search for an intergalactic camera, when a slit of something caught his eye. Turning back, he noticed another picture tucked behind the rest, very nearly hidden. He reached up and pulled it out and found himself holding a picture of her and Jack.

It was obviously one that a member of the training team had snapped, at the time unbeknownst to those in the image. The two of them were sat beneath a tree, stretched out and at ease. He laughed again, amused at how similar their postures were.

_Wonder why it was hidden…?_ The thought was cut off just as soon as he had it. It was obvious, really. Out of everyone she had at SGC, everyone who played a part (knowingly or not) in her life and her subsequent exile…of sorts…it would have been Jack's actions that would have cut the deepest. Jack was the one she could always turn to, was the one she always had when no one else was left.

The sad turn of thoughts was sidetracked as Mitchell walked in from the other room.

"Hey…thought you might find this interesting…" He was randomly flipping through an old tome, missing the look on Daniel's face. "Looks like a book of spells."

"Book of spells?" And with that, sad thoughts evaporated. "I somehow doubt that." Mitchell handed the book over and Daniel took a seat to browse through it. "Huh. Looks like a grimoire."

"Yeah…that's what I said…"

"Well…yeah…I guess. Think this falls more in line with a sacred text than a spell book. It really depends on who you're talking to…" He drifted off, taking a closer look at the pages in front of him. It looked like a history of the Ancients and their practices as far as rituals and religious habits. "This is incredible…"

"And…we've lost him." Cassie laughed as she walked through the door to find one man poking at knick-knacks and another emphatically reading on the sofa.

"Cass…can you read this?" Daniel asked distractedly.

"Nah. Just keep it around for curious folks like you to get all excited about." She plopped down next to him, laughing when she still got no reaction. "I can read bits and pieces. Dinah was teaching me before…well, before. I've tried to pick up on it as I go."

"It's incredible. We never seemed to get very far into the culture of the Ancients. It always seemed like we were focusing on the technology or the enemies they…well…"

"They created?" Mitchell offered.

"But this," Daniel continued, "this is extraordinary. I don't think it every really occurred to me that they had strong religious tendencies. It was just never really prevalent in any of the data we had…"

"I don't think it was as wide-spread as you might think…" Cassie suggested.

"No. No. It was most likely a sect, just a section of the community that chose to study it. You see it in most of the ancient cultures – divided orders – medicine, law, ruling class, etc…"

His musings was cut off as a ringing noise echoed from a corner of the room and two radios scratched to life.

"Colonel Mitchell? Daniel?" Sam's voice echoed through the radios as Cassie got up to reach for what the men guessed was a communication device of her own. She hesitated for a moment at the voice, but eventually answered her own call as Mitchell rogered up on his radio.

"Hello? Oh, Bantley…yes, it's okay. It's just a communication coming from my guests' planet. No, no trouble. Thank you for letting me know. I will. Okay."

"Telephone?" Daniel queried.

"Sure," Cassie shrugged, "why not? There's a massive tech-producing planet above us. You really think the market-moon isn't going to have some sort of communication device?" The guys gave her an accusing look. "What? You never asked…"

"Really Fraiser? Nice." Mitchell looked confused at the shocked faces his comment received before Sam piped back up on the radio.

"Mitchell…did you just say Fraiser?"

"Oh…crap… Umm…did I say Captain? I meant Captain Obvious. You know Jackson… Always pointing things out…" He shrugged sheepishly, the other two glaring at him.

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the radio.

"Colonel…I need you to come back to the command ASAP. We…we have an issue…"

The small group tossed knowing looks at each other. _An issue…or two…_


	4. Part Four

Part Four

As Daniel walked through the 'gate, he immediately sensed Sam's gaze from the top window and just as immediately regretted winning his argument with Mitchell as to why it was better for him to come back instead of the colonel.

_It made sense at the time... _While both men were fairly good friends with the general, Mitchell had the unfortunate benefit of being under her command. Daniel had no real qualms arguing with an Air Force general, so if the conversation turned heated (as he was sure it would), he was the best to deliver the news.

Now, on the other hand, he was second-guessing that idea.

He absent-mindedly handed his pistol to a waiting SF and made his way through the control center to the briefing room. Sam was still standing next to the window, staring blankly down at the gateroom below.

"Daniel…"

"Sam…"

"Mitchell afraid to come back?"

"Umm…no… I just thought, well…"

"What? That it would sound better coming from you?" She turned to him then, sadness and concern mixing on her face. "You know, when Jack told me what he had Teal'c tell her… About making sure no one could find her… You would have thought he would have included you in that mix." She smiled slightly at his confused look. "Your inane ability to just…trip over things that aren't usually meant to be found."

"Ah…yeah… Well, to be fair, I just walked into this one," he said, returning the smile.

The smile faded from both of them as Sam seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say next. He could see that she wanted to ask a stream of questions, and he almost went ahead and gave her the answers. Her hesitance, however, had him pausing as well.

"Sam…what's going on?" She was about to answer when a loud stomping came from the stairs.

"That man… That… If I didn't think Kinsey was smart enough to think of it, I'd swear he'd transplanted himself into that smarmy younger version of…himself downstairs." Jack paused in his tirade as he hit the top step and noticed a larger audience than he expected. "Daniel…?"

"Jack."

"He didn't see you, did he?" Sam asked.

"Nah. Walter's doing a great job running him around in circles. I just happened to catch a peek as I was getting out of the elevator," Jack said as he spun a chair around and plopped into it.

"Don't get comfortable, Jack." Sam tossed at him. "I need you and Daniel to go to '031. Before Rickson."

"Rickson?" Daniel asked shocked. "Thought his 'team' was still in the works? And why in the world is _he _going off-world?"

"He's sped up the timeline. That's why he's here. He's chosen his team, and he's sending them out to '031 as a test run. And, as an 'integral leader in the IOA', it's his prerogative to oversee such a test run. In person"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" came the simultaneous, if slightly different, response from the two men in the room. If the situation wasn't so aggravatingly troubled, Sam would have laughed.

Jack jumped up from his seat as voices neared the door on the other side of the room.

"Crap… How we gonna get there if _he's_ snooping around."

"I need you and Daniel to head out with SG-4," Sam said, loud enough to draw attention from the group closing in. "They've found some ruins that I think you'll be interested in, Daniel." Daniel nodded, seeing the ruse in the plan. Jack, on the other hand, was still slightly confused. "As for you, Jack, I figured you'd like a day off. Check out a nice, peaceful planet that wasn't the Charlie site."

"That sounds…interesting," Rickson snarked from the door. "Is that really within regulations, General? I mean, as great a contribution O'Neill has been to the SGC; he is retired."

"Senator," Sam stepped over, cutting off the inevitable response from Jack, "it is my right to decide who goes through the gate. Jack O'Neill has continued to be a great asset to this command, even after his retirement. Sending him on a routine mission is a simple matter of recognizing that contribution and utilizing it in any way I see fit." She fought the temptation to return the proud smile she saw flash across Jack's face.

"I would like to be present for the dialing process," the senator returned, trying to regain ground only he seemed to feel he'd lost. "I've never witnessed it in person."

_AKA – I wanna see what you're dialing and assure you're dialing what you're supposed to be dialing…_ The smile on Jack's face was quick and turned to a grimace as the senator continued his snaking into the SGC workings. _Snaking… Who would have thought we'd get rid of the actual snakes, but still be stuck with their personalities…_

"Certainly, Senator," Sam said through barely grated teeth. "Heck, I'll show you how to dial it up yourself."

The shocked amusement on Daniel and Jack's faces almost had her crack the stern façade.

Almost…

* * *

Mitchell sat on the sofa, watching as Cassie made her way around the small dwelling. She was tidying and rearranging, putting away the bits and pieces the two men had used for their makeshift beds. After a good bit of this, she stopped suddenly and turned on him.

"Okay. Shoot," she said, hands on hips.

"What?" He shook his head, startled from his musings.

"You're looking somewhat uncomfortable, Colonel."

"Cam."

"What?"

"I think…given the circumstances… I mean…you can call me Cam."

"Okay… You're looking even more uncomfortable…Cam." She grinned, taking a seat across from him. "Ask what you want to ask." The confusion on his face had the grin on hers growing…slightly. "Come on. You really gonna sit there and tell me there's nothing you wanna ask? There's nobody here. Nobody to step in, tell ya it's not cool. You have carte blanche. Ask away."

He paused for a moment, thinking. And then…

"How come you never joined SG-1?"

That took her back.

"Really? Ha! Okay… Well…to be perfectly honest…never really wanted to." His bemused look had her laughing again. "Seriously. Look, you know SG-1 from an airman's perspective. You've heard all the heroic tales of how they battled the big bad aliens and allowed Earth's freedom to persevere."

"You're telling me you didn't? No heroic bedtime stories?"

"Sure… But there were other stories. You forget who my mom was. Every time she came home, she'd have this look on her face that told me how bad the day was. After awhile, I learned see a difference. There would be the look for the days that just had a lot of little things – broken bones, flu shots, nicks and scrapes. Siler. Then there was the look for days that had more serious issues – folks on life support, surgeries, tougher things." She paused, thoughts flying across her face. "But there was one particular look; one that I contributed to SG-1. Whenever she had that look on her face, she wouldn't look at me. The conversations we had on those days were hesitant and careful, like she was doing whatever she could to ensure that I didn't worry; that I didn't get scared thinking something happened to them."

"Makes sense. They were different for you than the rest of the command. Meant more. That's why I figured you'd want to be on the team."

"Why?"

"Huh?" he asked, back to confusion.

"Why would you want me on the team?" She sat, patiently looking at him. Her look said she was open to the conversation, but may already know what he was going to say.

"Why not? I mean… It'd be like having that whole original group back on the team, just in one person… With some…extra benefits…"

"Yeah…figured that… Trained by the 'best of the best', right? See, Colonel, that's your mistake. You still see it as that group, just those four individuals. And don't get me wrong – they are four fantastic individuals. But, SG-1 has had a great deal of folks in its ranks over the years. All kinds of different skill sets and personalities pulled together. See, when it really comes down to it, SG-1 really is just two letters and a number. What you've been trying to get is more of an idea, a mentality. It's bringing together folks and melding them into one great being. All the SGC teams have the potential of being an 'SG-1'. It's simply a matter of circumstances that's led them to being who they are."

He sat, staring at her as the thought bounced around his head. He'd said it, from day one – his goal was always to put the band back together. And he did, sort of. But it had changed, folks bouncing out and back. And no matter what changed, after the initial getting-to-know-you period, it would always revert back to that team mentality – that undeniable fact that he trusted his team members to have his back.

"Huh." He leaned back into the sofa. "Well…I gotta say – you make more sense than I've heard other Anicenty-folk do."

"Ha! Well…I'm not an Ancient, and most definitely not an Ascended Being. So...thanks…?" She smirked over at him. "Is that really the only question you've got?"

"I could think up some more, if you want." He smirked back at her as his radio crackled to life.

"Mitchell, come in." Daniel's voice came rushed over the radio, the sound of the gate shutting down barely audible behind him.

"What's up Jackson?" he replied, sitting up in his seat.

"We've got a problem. You still at Cassie's?"

"Yeah…we're still here."

"We'll meet you there."

He was about to ask about the _we_, when Cassie hopped up from her seat.

"I have to go get An'ya."

"Uh…okay…" He wasn't sure what to think about the suddenly frantic look on her face, but the thought vanished as quickly as the look.

"I'll be back. Feel free to, um, hang out here." And with that, she was out the door.

"Uh, yeah… Sure…"

* * *

"So this is where she's be hiding" Jack said, gazing around the ghost town of the marketplace. They'd made a quick trip out with SG-4 and then quickly turned around and re-dialed to '031. He was still internally grinning at the little swindle.

"Yeah" Daniel replied, retracing the now familiar trail through the marketplace and towards the village. "Seems to have really endeared herself to the locals. That's why SG-7 couldn't get any answers out of them."

"They're not looking too friendly right now…"

Daniel followed his gaze towards a couple walking towards them. He recognized Naasa, as well as the frown on her face. It was similar to the one that was on her face when they first met.

"Naasa… What's wrong?"

"I would ask you the same, Daniel." They met halfway along the road, near the fields. "Iaala, the school mistress, said Cassandra came by the school only a few moments ago, taking An'ya away from lessons. She seemed…upset."

Jack and Daniel looked cautiously at each other, obvious of the tension radiating off both Naasa and her rather burly companion.

"We…" Daniel started, hesitantly. "There are men coming… We came to warn her. Make sure she was safe."

"These are the bad men? The one's that are 'up to no good'?" the local man said with a glare. You could practically hear the quotation marks.

"Yeah" Jack returned. "And we're here to make sure they don't get to her. Or mess with you fine folks."

Daniel could see something pass between the two men, a mutual understanding. _You helped out our girl; we're going to pay you back._

"Naasa, where would she go?" Daniel asked, as the group started moving again towards the village.

"She always assured us that she would leave before any trouble would come," she replied sadly.

They paused in their tracks at the distant echo of the 'gate engaging.

"That was fast," Daniel said cynically.

"The ship," Jack stated, matter-of-factly. He turned to Naasa. "You the welcome-wagon?"

The phrase was slightly lost on the woman, but she got the general idea.

"I will try to slow them down as much as possible." She headed back towards the 'gate with her companion.

"Any thoughts as to where this ship is?" He wasn't too thrilled when Daniel shrugged in return.

"I'm going to guess it's somewhere near the house."

"Well, let's check in with Mitchell. Find out if he knows what's going on."

* * *

Cassie was only slightly out of breath from the fast sprint to the schoolhouse, followed by a jog-pace-set-by-a-six-year-old to the tel'tak. But was more marveled at the timing.

_Not bad... Hopefully…_

"We're not leaving, are we?" An'ya asked with a frown as Cassie reached for the cloaked ship, triggering the door lever.

"No." She caught the eerily knowing look on the young girl's face. _You've never lied to her before. Now is not the time to start._ "You're not."

They walked into the ship, door closing behind them. Cass paused just inside the door, watching as An'ya solemnly made her way over to a cushion tucked in a corner and plopped into it, snuggling Pluto tight to her.

"Oh…lil bug…" she sighed, walking over to kneel in front of her.

"I know you have to. Dinah told me… But…" Little sniffle.

"I know. You don't want me to. You know why though." She was trying to keep herself from leading the conversation. The more the kid could get on her own, the more easily she'd be able to deal with it. _That's how I learned my lessons…_

"To make sure I don't get into trouble. That I'm safe. And that everybody here is safe." Another sniffle, arm across the nose.

_That's it kid. Tug at the heartstrings._

"You _will_ be okay. You know that. Pluto's here with ya." She reached over and tugged one of the stuffed animal's ragged ears. "And I promise Daniel or Cam or…Jack… Jack will come and get you. You know Jack, right? All those stories I told you. You'll know him as soon as you see him. And you'll know you'll be okay."

She looked up at her then, tears stubbornly glistening in her little blue eyes.

"And you're going to come back. You promise. You're going to come back for me. And we'll be safe together."

"Absolutely." They gazed at each other, one putting as much meaning into the look as possible for the other. _Maybe not like this… But I will come back._

"And I'll be brave."

"You _are_ brave."

"You are too…" And suddenly little arms were around her neck, holding tight. "I love you, Cassie."

Cassie clasped arms around her small body, willing her own tears to stay put, the memory of another all-too-similar scenario running rampant in her head.

"I love you too, lil bug." She reluctantly pulled away, wiping at an errant tear falling down An'ya's check. "I gotta go…"

And just like that, tears vanished and a resolute look was planted on the young face staring back at her.

"Kick their butts."

* * *

When Daniel and Jack made it to the small house, they found Mitchell still sitting in the front room, the old book he'd found earlier opened in his lap. He was distractedly flipping through it, looking up as the two men walked in.

"Hey…guys…" He slowly closed the book, placing it on the seat beside him and standing up. He mentally reminded himself to leave out the _sir_. "Umm…not that it's not nice to see you, Si- Jack, but…what brings you out to this lovely moon?"

"Where's Cassie?" was the flat response.

"Didn't you guys see her on your way back? She said she was headed to the school to get An'ya."

"No," Daniel said, slightly harried. "Rickson's on his way, with a full team. I think she probably figured it out when we radioed. Naasa thinks she's headed out."

"What? She's gonna take off? We can't let her do that." At the two blank looks he received, he added, "Look, guys. I get it. You don't want Rickson and the rest of the IOA goons chasing her down. But, seriously? She shouldn't have to run around the galaxy for it. Think she's already had her fair share of crap. Don't you?"

Daniel just shifted his glance, trying to ignore the truth of Mitchell's words. _We know. But what else is there for us to do?_

"She's not leaving." Jack's continued short blunt statements had both Daniel and Mitchell stare at him in concern. "She's going to fight."

"Jack…"

"Yeah, Daniel. I know. You guys head back to the 'gate, help the locals with Rickson's team. Get into any trouble, call it in. It's gonna come down to who finds her first, and I want it to be us." He reached up and snagged his radio out of its pocket. "Switch over to channel 13. I don't want us crossing over with the other team."

"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked, pulling out his own radio.

"I'm gonna go find that ship."

"We still don't know where it is."

"I've got a fair idea," Jack said, thinking of the barely visible trail he say winding back to a thatch of wood behind the house. When the other men turned a curious gaze on him, he managed a sly grin. "Well, I did teach her most of everything she knows…"

* * *

As she made her way out of the trees and down the path, Cassie swiped at a wayward tear that had snuck down her cheek. She hated leaving An'ya by herself, but she had no doubt that Jack and the rest were already out on the hunt for her.

_Them…amongst others…_

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard rustling and voices ahead of her on the barely visible trail. And she could swear they were fairly familiar.

She instinctively switched to stealth mode and crept forward to find three rather frustrated pirates. Actually – more like two bemused pirates and their stomping captain – the very same pirate captain that had shot her back during the Dakara debacle. She was about to step out and query the group when everyone tensed. The captain – Leraq – reached out to grab at thin air.

Thin air that turned into a snivelly little senator. He had apparently snuck away from his group with the aid of an altered Sodan cloaking device.

"You actually had the gall to show your face, Rickson?! After yet another failed little set-up?" Leraq had the senator by the lapels – literally, and Cassie was finding it difficult to maintain her hidden demeanor.

Sadly, Rickson did not appear as rattled as he should have.

"You still seem to be empty handed, Leraq. I happen to remember a small clause in our arrangement that stated you would not get any compensation if you did not fulfill your end of the bargain."

"We wouldn't get any compensation, no matter the bargain! It's the off-season on this market-moon. There is nothing here. Unless you expect us to rob and pillage the village."

"Well…you are pirates."

All three pirates were honestly stunned at the thought. Pillage villages indeed.

Cass stood, conflicted. She had met Leraq and his small crew shortly after leaving Dakara, and Leraq had given her the whole breakdown as to why he felt the need to shoot her – for a price, of course.

Apparently, she discovered, the senator had, through his SGC contacts, arranged to have the pirate kidnap her and turn her over at a pre-arranged meeting. In return, the pirates were welcome to take whatever they felt would make a suitable payment from the settlement they were meant to conduct this kidnapping in.

Of course, upon discovering that they were meant to kidnap a member of the fabled SGC out from under the noses of the Free Jaffa Nation, the pirates quickly arranged another deal. Teal'c offered them a tel-tak in exchange for assisting in the charade of 'shooting' the same person they were meant to kidnap.

Now, here they were again. And, evidently, the senator had once more tried to ensure that the SGC would not get away with whatever ploy they had planned to keep Cassie out of his hands. The majority of her conscience was perfectly happy to let Leraq carry out whatever justice he felt necessary. There was, however, a small little bit of that same conscience that told her she should step in.

Of course, that little bit was just as equally happy to change its mind depending on Rickson's reaction.

She carefully and quietly backtracked a ways before casually wandering towards the group, appearing shocked at the sight of them.

"Well, well, well…fancy seeing a pirate here. Leraq, I know you tend to ignore most important facts; but I figured even you would know to check a calendar." She maintained a blank face, which was tough with the outrage that was brewing just under the surface of Rickson's. Apparently his quarry being on friendly terms with the pirates he'd sent after her wasn't ranking high in his desired outcomes. "Marketplace is closed this time of year."

"Cassandra…so nice to see you again. Unfortunately, my information regarding this lovely market-moon was slightly…well, incorrect." His grip tightened on Rickson's suit. "I'll have to come up with another…arrangement."

She went to respond, but settled for a glare.

"Not to worry, my dear girl. I plan on taking my grievances elsewhere. You're little home here won't be involved."

"That's all I needed to hear. Enjoy, Captain." And with a nod to the two other pirates, Cassie made to continue down the path.

"Captain Fraiser?!"

The subtle hint of fear that had crept into the senator's bellow had her grinning internally. When she stopped to turn back to him, she made sure to keep a composed glare.

"Senator?" she returned, with an extra dose of sickly sweetness.

"You can't leave me here." The look on his face was one of unabashed demand for obedience.

"I'm sorry, Senator. Last I heard Captain Fraiser was listed as KIA. Dead folks can't possibly be considered under any obligation to obey regulations…so…I _can_ do just that." She turned again to walk away.

"Do you really think the troubles for the SGC will just slip away if I don't return? That your General Carter will regain everything we've taken away from her? That you will be free to return and continue with your sham of a _normal_ life?"

That had her stopping. She knew he probably wasn't the only member of the IOA causing trouble; had no doubt the trouble would just intensify with the disappearance of one of their top supporters.

_Damn it._

She turned around, walking up to Leraq and taking a great deal of effort to not glare at the snake beside him.

"You want payment, right?" She waited for a response, but got a confused look in return. "There's a house at the end of this…trail, a shed out back. Underneath the bottom shelf is a chest. Plenty of loot that will more than pay for this…little adventure." The captain looked between her and Rickson, working on which option would be more satisfactory. "Look, from what I hear about how much you got for the Dakara job, this will be plenty for you, plus some. Just…leave me the schmuck."

"What are you going to do with him?"

_Got him._ She ventured a rather disgusted look out the corner of her eye at Rickson.

"Gonna make sure he gets what's coming to him. Don't you worry about that." She turned back to Leraq. "But there's a few loose ends he's gonna have to tie up first."

He considered it for a bit more before letting go of the suit and pushing the senator away.

"Well, knowing you, I'm sure your spoils are more than worth it. However… Rumor had it I made it out of Dakara with two tel-taks…" He slid closer to her, putting a finger under her chin. He gave her a smirk, which quickly faded as she pierced him with a stern gaze.

"There's precious cargo in that tel-tak," she said with emphasis. "Go near it and the next time we meet, you'll be singing soprano. That's a promise."

He gave her a respectful nod and the group made their goodbyes. As the pirates made their way back towards the direction she had come from, Cassie turned to the senator.

"Smart decision, Captain" he spat, adjusting tie and lapels.

"I'm sure this will come as a shock, but I didn't do it for you." She didn't even bother looking at him, instead focusing her attention a short way ahead on the trail. She had had a feeling there was another addition to the small group that was working to make himself as invisible as she had. Now that things had calmed down – a bit – she was finally able to determine who it was. "Come on out, Jack…"

_Damn…_ He'd been watching the entire exchange from behind a tall patch of grass. When she'd been on the verge of letting the pirates take off with Rickson, he was with her. _Let them deal with the snake._ But he understood why she'd gone back.

What they were going to do now, on the other hand, was still up in the air…

The two of them met Jack on the path, but while the senator stopped to glare accusingly at him, Cassie kept walking without so much as a glance. He cut off whatever smart comment was coming at him from the suit to catch up with her.

"Hey. What's up?" Nothing. "Come on, kid. You're terrible at the silent treatment. Might as well get it out."

"Ha!" she laughed, glancing behind her to find Rickson lagging behind but still following. "There's nothing to say," she returned under her breath. "I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Daniel – I understand, but I'm still pissed."

"Yeah…I got that. But whatever you plan on doing now… It's not worth it."

"Don't know what you're talking about it." She picked up her pace.

"Right" he said, reaching out to grab her arm and stop her. When she wouldn't turn to look at him, he continued "Cass – look, it's crap. This whole thing is just crap. But turning yourself over to _him_ is not going to do anything but make it worse."

"You're wrong Jack." She turned to him then, a determined look on her face. "It'll finish it."

* * *

"I don't like it." Daniel had been glaring over at Gregson since he and Mitchell had made it back to the 'gate. "Not one bit…"

Gregson, as well as the two other SGC members that had come through as a part of Rickson's team, had been standing post at the edge of the 'gate platform. Naasa and her companion, Samiel, had attempted to talk to them, but hadn't received any response.

"Where's Rickson?" Mitchell asked somewhat perplexed. "I thought you guys said he was coming through with his team. I figured he'd want to be here for this. Make sure we didn't ruin his plans again."

"Yeah… He should be here. And yet…" Daniel made his way up to Gregson. Concern for the whereabouts of the senator was actually falling pretty low on his list of priorities. _My turn for some convincing…_ "Sergeant…Gregson, right?"

"Doctor Jackson… I thought you were with SG-4?" The young man gave him a knowing gaze and then looked away.

"Yeah, well…we were… Look, Sergeant, I have no doubt that Rickson has told you a lot of things…"

"_Senator_ Rickson has opened my eyes to things, yes. Are you going to try and tell me that it's all lies?" He didn't bother to look back over at Daniel; just resumed his thousand-yard stare out towards the marketplace.

"Ryan… It's Ryan, right? I'm not trying to change your mind. I'm just trying to figure out what would make an Air Force sergeant turn his back on a fellow airman, an officer even."

There was a flutter across the young man's face, as if he were going to reply. It flickered and faded with nothing more than a twitch of an eyelid.

"Captain Fraiser was on the training unit when you went through, wasn't she?" That got the sergeant to turn. Hanging out with military types for over a decade had its benefits. _Figured out which strings to pull…_ "You spent a month under her care. She took you through exercises, training you to do exactly what you're doing right now. Are you really telling me you consider her a threat to national security? An alien that needs to be neutralized? Dissected?"

He thought he might have at least cracked the exterior, as Gregson opened his mouth to finally take part in the conversation. But he was cut off from a shout behind him.

"Captain Stanley, dial the stargate."

Daniel turned to find Rickson hurrying as nonchalantly as possible up the path through the stalls, Jack and Cassie following slowly behind.

"Crap… Jack?" He made his way back towards Mitchell as the senator breezed past.

"Sergeant, take the captain into custody." The gleeful way he said it made Daniel, amongst others, want to sock him.

"Jack?" Daniel asked again. The stout look on his friend's face told him he wasn't going to get an answer any time soon. At least not one that he was going to be happy to hear.

"What the hell's going on?" Mitchell piped in.

Neither of the two said anything as they reached them. Jack stopped next to the two men while Cassie made her way over to Naasa. Daniel watched the exchange with growing unease. Naasa was shaking her head, obviously upset with what Cassie was saying to her. Cassie, on the other hand, was trying to calm her down and explain the situation. She motioned over to the three of them, and Daniel thought he caught "An'ya" in the flurry of words. Once she finally got a nod of acceptance from the older woman, she turned to them.

At first, he thought she'd try the same maneuver on them; but she obviously thought better of it. She just gave them a solemn nod. The exchange he saw between her and Jack was longer – more meaning. After all this time, it was no surprise that she had picked up Jack's wordless communication skills.

She turned and walked right up to Gregson, who, to his own credit, was now looking rather uncomfortable with the idea of putting zip-ties on a well-respected officer.

"Come on, Sergeant. Don't make me do it myself. I'll only screw it up." She actually managed a smirk. It seemed to do the trick, as the young airman finally went to work putting the zip-ties around her wrists.

The 'gate engaged and the little gaggle of the IOA grunts lined up, Gregson with a gentle hold on Cassie's arm.

"Well, gentlemen," Rickson smirked, "looks like I win." He paused again for dramatic effect. "Don't bother following us. Would hate for an incident to break out in the ole gateroom."

_Lamest last words ever._ Jack was fighting hard not to walk over and just pop the jerk on the nose. As it was, he was holding firm beside Mitchell and Daniel to ensure they didn't bum rush the group. _Your play, kid…_

He wanted to trust that she knew what she was doing. Hoped she could pull whatever it was off.

The three of them watched as the group made it's way up the ramp. Cassie twitched just shy of the event horizon, as if she were going to turn around and look back, but stopped and disappeared through the blue swirl.

And with that, the 'gate disengaged with a _pop_ and they were left standing there staring at the hole that remained.

* * *

Sam stood in the command center as the 'gate engaged on their side. The IDC that came up on the screen was not the one she was hoping to see.

"It's the code we assigned to the senator's team, Ma'am." Walter looked up at her expectantly, and you could sense the feeling around the room.

_You could say nothing. Just keep it closed and let him splat against the iris like the bug he is…_

"Open it." It wouldn't just be him, and she knew it. _No sense letting good airmen go splat with him… Shouldn't be punished just for falling for his lies…_

The thought – all thoughts – immediately vanished as figures walked down the ramp. It took her just a few seconds to decide to move. She rushed down the short steps into the gateroom.

"Senator, what is the meaning of this?"

"General… I've taken Captain Fraiser into custody," he replied, smug look still firmly in place.

"Into custody? On what charges?"

"Well, unauthorized absence and treason for starters. I'm sure we can think up a few more on the ride to Nevada."

Sam froze. She didn't know what to say, what to do. She looked over at Cassie, who was evading her gaze.

She had never felt so helpless. So unable to help a person she cared for, who trusted her to keep her safe…

"Cassie…"

The younger woman finally looked up at her, a flicker of fear and concern flashing in her eyes before she composed herself.

"It's alright, General. No worries." She looked around her, seeing those who were supposedly meant to be guarding her standing rather relaxed and unnoticing. She leaned over to Sam. "Hiding doesn't seem to have worked."

"Cass…" Still, nothing more came.

Cassie shook her head, giving her a meaningful look.

"Time to fight them on their turf."


	5. Part Five

***sorry for the delay... school, work, life etc. got in the way. anyhoo...enjoy! :)**

Part Five

The small group that remained beside the 'gate were still quietly processing what had just happened. Jack watched as Daniel tried to reassure Naasa and her fellow villagers that a – they were not as bad as the men that had just left, and 2 – that they would do everything they could to ensure the continued safety of their village.

"Sir… Jack…" He turned to find Mitchell standing next to him with a cautious look plastered on his face. "Any thoughts?"

He stood, 'thoughts' running wild in his head. He didn't feel much like voicing them, though. _Wouldn't do any good…_ As he was about to come up with some random tid-bit of nonsense to cover the tense silence, radios crackled to life.

"SG - … Jack?" Sam's voice was thick with barely contained emotion, and he was grateful for the lack of a MALP. He wouldn't have been able to see her, of course. But she also wouldn't have to deal with his vacant gaze.

"Yeah, Carter. We're still here."

"Plan on coming back…soon…" He could hear the plea – _come help, I don't know what to do… _How could he tell her he was just as lost?

"Yea-…"

"Sam…we're gonna need some time." Daniel walked over with Naasa, cutting into Jack's reply. At the glare he received from his friend, he continued, "There's something we need to take care of here. Shouldn't take long…but…it's important."

"Daniel…"

"Jack. Trust me. It's important." Not important like _Hey, look at these cool ruins that tells us all about million-year-dead folks! _Important enough for him to step in and delay his friends' need to be together.

Apparently, Sam could hear it from her end, as well.

"You have an hour, Daniel. We need to…regroup."

"Alright…" His reply didn't put much faith in his fellow travelers as to his ability to keep to that time limit.

As the 'gate shut down, Jack turned to square off with his young friend.

"Alright. So what's so damn important?"

"An'ya." The short statement did nothing to curb the other man's growing irritation. "Cassie told Naasa that she's entrusted care of the girl to us. We have to find her, Jack. We can't leave her here. There's no telling what Rickson will do; how far he'll feel the need to dig here. No one knows about her. SG-7 never knew about her, we never reported anything… If we can get her away, they won't have any reason to come back. We promised to uphold Cassie's guarantee – that nothing she brought here would effect their living…"

Jack glanced between the three faces looking back at him. Mitchell was hesitant, glancing as much as him between Jack and Daniel. Daniel had a simple firm look on his face, a knowing look that said he knew the outcome even if no one else had reached the conclusion yet. The local woman, Naasa, seemed caught between angry and distraught; but there was a touch of hope there, too.

He could see how much she cared about Cassie. The look on her face was eerily similar to one he could remember seeing on Sam's face. He could picture it – her gaze piercing him as the elevator doors closed, a small little imp of a girl curled in her arms…

"Okay, I give…" he said, shaking his head to clear the image and turning back to Daniel. "Who's this An'ya chick?"

* * *

"Why does it not surprise me that we're _still_ picking up pieces of those snaky little…snakes…" Jack said, as the three men made their way down the overgrown path.

Daniel just laughed quietly in response. He didn't really see it as 'picking up pieces'. It was more like scavenging for what was left. And what was left in this case was…well…worth the trouble.

They reached the edge of the small wood and started making their way through the brush and trees. The closer they got, the more Jack could sense the slight flicker in the air coming off the ship. It was a fine-tuned sense honed during years of dealing with cloaking devices. Came in handy when you forgot where you parked, but didn't want to find what you parked by walking smack into it.

A _thud_ from a short distance off to the left let him know Mitchell might want to work on honing his own skills.

"Found it," he announced, rubbing his knee.

The other two men joined him. It took a bit to find the door latch, a lengthy process of running hands along the invisible edge and deciphering what was what. Eventually, a click and hiss told Jack Daniel had found it.

Daniel entered first, Mitchell followed – both slightly hesitant in their steps. Jack, on the other hand, after watching them for a short moment barreled past them into the main hold area.

"For cryin' out loud. She's a six year-old kid. What are you guys nervous about?" He took in all the accoutrements stuffed into corners of the cargo hold. There were hammocks strung up on the bulkheads, a couple of plump beanbag-looking cushions in a corner. More random bits and pieces tossed about. It was pretty homey…for a tel-tak. Reminded him of old gypsy caravans he'd seen pictures of, just with that undertone of being a spaceship. "Comfy… So…where is she?"

"She might be hiding… We don't know what Cassie told her to do." Daniel was looking about him, just like Jack, taking it in. To him, it was very reminiscent of the patched together dwellings he'd seen on Abydos. Comfort and protection with whatever you could find.

"Maybe she's waiting for the booby-traps to kick in." The two men looked up at Mitchell with slightly incredulous looks. "What? You did say you taught her everything she knows…"

Jack laughed gruffly, resuming his survey. He caught sight of a small stuffed animal resting in one of the cushions. He reached down, and as he brought it up for a closer look he couldn't help laughing again. It was a little dog; roughly put together, but still distinguishable. Flipping it over, he saw a sad little cartoon Pluto staring back at him. The planet, oddly enough; not the dog. He had a flash of memory, remembering the last time he'd jokingly scolded Cassie for her habit of wearing not-so-regulation tee shirts under her BDU blouse. That time she'd had a shirt with the same sad Pluto, and text saying "Don't worry Pluto, I'm not a planet either." It dawned on him that this was that very shirt. She'd just cut it up to make the small toy.

"She said it could still be a dog… Even if it wasn't allowed to be a planet any more…"

He looked down at the small voice to find a shy little thing peering at him from behind the divide between the cargo hold and the next portion of the ship.

"Hi. You must be An'ya." He handed the toy to her and couldn't help the chuckle when she reached out and snatched it before resuming her mostly-hidden posture.

She glanced past him at Daniel and Mitchell and he sensed more than saw the two men pause in their browsing. The cautious look returned to Jack.

"You must be Jack."

He smirked at her, taking the chance to sit down in the cushion formerly occupied with Pluto the planet-pup. _Smart kid… _ He knew the layout of the ship fairly well; knew that if she wanted to, she could just reach up and slam the divider shut. He glanced up at the matching panel on his side of the wall and saw that it was hidden behind a false panel. _There's a trap for ya Mitchell._ No doubt, the hidden panel was rigged with some sort of what's-it to short out the controls. The kid would be safe on the larger side of the ship, most likely with stocks and other useful bits; and they would be stuck with nothing but the exit.

"That I am," he replied, turning back to her with an open look on his face.

"Cassie's gone…"

"She is… But…we're gonna get her back." _Hopefully… One way or another…_ He shook his head slightly, banishing the thoughts before they gained too much momentum.

"I'm not going anywhere till she comes back…" He gave her an odd look, and she added, "You want me to go with you… To where the bad men are…"

He leaned over, still keeping his nose from slamming distance but closing some of the distance between them.

"No one is going to make you do anything. And no bad men will _ever_ get to you." He paused, seeing understanding in her eyes. "I know you like it here, you like Naasa and…um…the big guy…?"

"Samiel…"

"Yup. That guy. But…I'd really feel a whole lot better if you were with me. So that when we get Cassie back, she wouldn't have to go too far to find ya."

She slowly crept past the divide, Pluto still tucked tight under an arm. She cast a glance around at the other two again, contemplating. Jack turned to follow her gaze and realized she wasn't looking at them – more of between them. He watched as Daniel brushed at his ear, like he could sense something there.

A shimmer…and then nothing.

"Okay…" Jack turned back to see An'ya staring determinedly at him. "I'll go."

* * *

The relief Sam felt as the small group made their way through the 'gate was blissful, but short lived. Her worry for what Cassie may be going through was brought back in force when she was introduced to the young girl the men brought with them.

There was a slight disagreement over a medical examination – apparently Cassie had instructed An'ya to never let anyone aside from her to do that. For good reason, as far as Sam figured. Daniel managed to calm the girl down long enough to get her down to the commissary for a meal.

Jack had been pacing the back of her office for the last hour. Mitchell had covered everything he knew and had guessed about the last few days, as well as everything they had managed to get out of Cassie. Sam couldn't decide what was worse – all the trouble they had put her through, or that it wasn't worth it in the end.

"I understand that this isn't the best of situations," Mitchell said, casting a cautious glance at the pacing figure behind him, "but what do they think they'll be able to get away with? I mean, she is an Air Force officer after all. KIA, missing, whatever – she's still a member of the US armed forces, on US soil."

"It won't stop them…" Sam replied quietly. "You remember Merrick? They don't think long term. They don't…think at all. They just do what they assume is their best option to serve their goals."

"Yeah...but –"

"They'll do whatever the hell they want," Jack growled. "These are the same people who thought it would be a great idea to stick snakes in the heads of their leaders. The same people who figured cutting out Carter's brain would be the best way to find out how to get the damn snakes out. They steal. They pillage. They shoot people in the back…"

"Jack…" came the whispered plea from behind the desk.

"No, Carter. He should be right. They shouldn't have the power to pluck a person off the street and drag them off to the desert to poke and prod and dissect them just for the pure –"

"Jack." This one came from the door behind him, and was more stern shout than plea. He turned sharply to see Daniel standing just outside the door in the hall, An'ya partial hidden behind him. Jack was slightly abashed for his outburst, but only for a moment.

"Kid's had it straight up 'til now. No sense stopping." He glanced down at the kid in question and saw a deep understanding in her young eyes. _Shouldn't have to deal with it… Shouldn't be so understanding…_

"She'll fight 'em," An'ya said seriously, following Daniel into the office, but stopping just next to Jack.

"An'ya thinks Cassie's been planning for this…inevitability," Daniel said, taking the other seat in front of the desk. "Apparently she's developed a way to hide…well…what she is."

"More of that balancing act she got from Dinah?" Mitchell asked. Daniel nodded in return, but stopped short at Sam's questioning look.

"I don't know how she thinks she'll be able to pull that off." She pulled a file out from a drawer and flipped through it. "I had Carolyn pull Cassie's medical record. She's always been pretty good at skipping check-ups, but the few that she's been to in the last year… There's been more and more unusual test results…"

"Naquadah?" Daniel asked.

"That's part of it... Most of the tests have been too inconclusive to base anything off of... Aside from a complete transfusion, there's never been a sure way to disguise the presence of naquadah in a person. And the levels she has...I just don't see how..."

"Magnets."

Both Daniel and Sam looked up at the short quip, staring at Jack with quizzical looks. He, in turn, shook his head and pointed at An'ya.

"That's what she said she thought of when she tried to shift it around. Magnets." She said it so confidently, plucking at a raggedy ear of Pluto.

"'Shift it'?" Daniel queried. She gave him a little nod, tilting her head at him waiting for him to complete the thought obviously working its way through his mind. "Shift it... Huh... Could work..." He turned back to Sam with the same look, as if they were simply passing the thought between them wordlessly. She, too, took a moment of contemplation before reaching the same conclusion.

"It could..." She looked to find both Jack and Mitchell still slightly lost. "She wouldn't have to hide all of it. The best and most accurate way any one has for checking for the presence of naquadah is to draw blood. If what you say is true, about what she's learned from...Dinah, then it would be a matter of using the naquadah in another part of the body to attract a small amount away from the arm they draw the blood from. So long as there is no naquadah in that vein that's cut off with the tourniquet, there would be no evidence of it in the test results."

"Sounds easy enough..." Mitchell said, only slightly sarcastic.

"Still doesn't make any difference." Everyone looked over at Jack. He took a glance at the small thing standing next to him, before turning back with a slightly apologetic look on his face. "You really think they'll just take some blood, not find anything there, and let her go? Think Rickson will just stop and change his mind?" No one answered him. "Yeah... Like I said…won't stop him…"

* * *

Cassie had been glaring for so long, she was almost positive it was going to become a permanent fixture. Of course, considering her current predicament, she wasn't too sure exactly how long permanent would be.

The somewhat short – yet ridiculously long – flight from Colorado to Vegas was more humiliating than frightening. She'd been herded through like an escaped convict. Only thing missing had been the orange jumpsuit; the fact that she was still dressed in her tunic and pants most likely put other disparaging thoughts in the minds of her fellow travelers. The stop at Nellis was short, just long enough to commandeer a helo and shove her in. The embarrassment jumped a level as she saw shocked and confused looks on familiar faces.

The flight out to the small town the IOA had apparently ensconced themselves in was brisk as they made their way over the mountains. She laughed to herself at the fact they didn't think it a bad idea to seat her next to the open door.

The laugh was short as the idea to jump pervaded her mind. _It would be simple. Just unbuckle and…fall…_ She thought of everyone that would be left. _They would understand… They've all been there before... I could see Mom…Dinah…Mother and Father… _Their faces flashed before her mind's eye, sad but content. Her hand was on the release of the straps, hesitating as slight, curious young eyes found hers in memory.

_An'ya…_ The light snow and trees gave back over to desert sands and the opportunity was lost. _Guess it's back to fighting…_

The final destination turned out to be a disused warehouse on the edge of a dusty little one light town. The IOA had dug themselves an underground play land. She was ushered into a sparce med bay and the poking and proding began. She knew it would be coming and had started preparing as soon as she'd been hauled out of Cheyenne Mountain.

Of course, that didn't mean it would suck any less.

After a few hours of blood draws, x-rays, and a variety of other tests, she'd been left on her own in the bare room strapped to a table. She was starting to drift off when loud voices came from behind the thick door.

"You are out of your mind. This has gone beyond too far!" Cassie was still a bit out of it from all the examinations, so the super-hearing was not so super. But she thought it sounded like one of the doctors who had been poking around – Doctor Boscoe?

"This is what you were hired to do, doctor. No sense growing a conscience now." That voice was impossible not to know, even through the door – Rickson.

"The extremely small amount of volunteers that we have hesitantly taken on for testing have been those that have fallen into a set criteria. You are not seriously going to stand there and tell me that this perfectly healthy young woman volunteered! I will not conduct testing on US citizens without their consent!"

"She is not a US citizen, Boscoe. She's not even a citizen of this planet. She's an alien."

"So you keep saying. And I'm telling you, there is nothing in any of her tests to prove you right. She's a normal human being. Aside from a bit of unusual – but completely explainable! – brain activity, she is nothing more than that. Not to mention – an Air Force officer!"

There was a hesitant pause, and Cassie could imagine the uncomfortable glitch in the senator's perfectly composed face. _Probably not a fact they were supposed to be privy too…_

"Ex-Air Force officer. She went AWOL and was found guilty of treason. And, in case you weren't aware, we are still at war. It was this or death. I'm thinking we are her better option, don't you?"

An indistinct mutter from the doctor gave him his answer. Something about how the current war status was just an easy excuse for a number of things and how it shouldn't have any real impact.

"No matter the circumstances," she spoke up, "my findings are what they are. I will not conduct testing on a human being without their consent. And I am positive that that consent will not be coming."

"Well, doctor…if that's how you feel…" Rickson sneered as he opened the door, "consider yourself terminated."

He breezed in the room as he motioned to a guard standing near the door. Cassie caught a look of dread on the doctor's face just as the guard moved to escort her away and the door closed. It was then that she'd remembered seeing the doctor in the halls of the SGC. Just a few times. She'd been a relief-staff member, someone just brought in temporarily to give the regular staff a chance to take some leave.

Of course, that meant she didn't know about one of the SGC's resident aliens. As far as she was concerned, Cassie was just a captain in the Air Force.

_Damn it. She was nice._ _And now she'll probably disappear into a ditch… Stupid IOA…_ The thought had the glare plastered on her face intensifying, and she was sure to aim it directly at Rickson.

"Seems you're earning yourself some more protectors, Ms. Fraiser…" He smirked at her, leaning against the wall of the small room with his hands tucked just inside his pockets. The pose had her picturing another figure, but the comparison made her sick.

"Seems you're still trying to force good people to do your dirty work. Just like the rest of your little gang of bureaucratic weasels."

"Right," he laughed. "This must be that indomitable SGC spirit I've heard so much about." He leaned over a hit a button on the intercom pad. "Send in Doctor Winthrop. I think we're ready.'' Releasing the button, he turned back to her with a dark stare. "You can keep up the routine, if you'd like. But you're in my playground now."

The door opened and another doctor walked in, one Cassie was positive she hadn't seen. He rolled a cart behind him, stacked with a variety of instruments and bottles. When he finally stopped to look at her, she very nearly flinched as the first thought that flashed in her mind was _Mengele_… The small smile that crept across his face sent chills down her spine, which intensified when he finally spoke.

"And what are we doing today?"

"Your choice, Doctor." The two of them looked slyly at each other. "No limits with this one, so…feel free to have some fun."

And with another evil sneer at Cassie, he left the room.

* * *

_Two weeks… They've had her for two weeks…_ A lot could happen in two weeks. A lot could be done in two weeks.

A lot could be done _to_ someone in two weeks…

Jack shook his head as Captain Malcolm hesitantly walked up. He couldn't blame the young guy – Malcolm was the third person this week to venture out to Charlie with Jack in an attempt to be a replacement for…the missing SGTu member. By the look on his face as he approached, Jack was pretty sure he'd be getting number four next week.

"The…uh…the exercise is finishing up now, Sir...um…Mr. O'Neill… Should I…uh…have the trainers come give you their assessments?"

He grumbled an affirmative response and watch with slight amusement as the man ran off. _When did that position turn into glorified assistant?_ He didn't remember it being a regular go-for job… Of course, the answer came to him and he shook it away. _It never was… Because it was her job… And she was more than that…_

_Is. No past tense. Damn it O'Neill._ He shook harder and grumbled to his feet. He had argued with Sam about not canceling the refresher training events; had said he needed them. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember why now.

As he made his way to the main camp, he could hear SG-2 laughing, could see them hanging about casually chatting with the training team. It was a fairly easy week, and Jack was sure they were eager to get back to the "real work". They were all veteran SGC members, having started on a variety of teams and worked their way up to create the latest SG-2. Of course, that meant they all knew Jack and the rest of SG-1, past and present.

And they all knew Cassie.

The laughter died a bit as they noticed Jack walk up. He didn't bother stopping, just kept walking towards the 'gate. He suddenly felt exhausted and just wanted to be home.

Before he knew it, he was walking blankly down the ramp, the training team and SG-2 laughing and joking in front of him. He vaguely registered the 'gate shutting down behind him, instead focusing on the face looking down from the briefing room window. The frequent question bubbled to his tongue before he even made it out of the gateroom, but he choked it down as he made his way up the stairs. Really wasn't much sense in asking. If there was any news, he was sure Sam would tell him.

The look on her face as he reached the briefing room told him he was right with not asking.

"Hey… SG-2's all set…"

"No surprise there," Sam replied, not turning from the window.

"Yeah…" He paused as he came to stop next to her at the window. He glanced at her vacant expression reflected in the glass before copying her pose and watching the casual activity of the gateroom. "So…"

"Senator Michaels finally got back in touch."

"Okay…" Another pause. When she didn't continue he added, "And…?"

"Apparently the president is officially done with the IOA's crap. This was the proverbial last straw." She paused. "Especially with elections coming up…"

"Of course. So…they have any plan to 'officially' kick Rickson's ass?"

"Michaels would love to… Except…"

_Right…_ Jack didn't need her to finish. The trouble they had had so far wasn't finding folks to help them take down the IOA and get Cassie back. It was finding out where they were hiding.

"Ma'am?" The two finally turned from the window to find Walter standing at the top of the stairs. "There is a Major Boscoe upstairs. She is requesting to speak to you."

"Major Boscoe?" Sam asked.

"She was a relief medical team member here on and off for a few years before making her way to Area 51, ma'am." He stopped before continuing hesitantly, "She was one of the team members who stayed after the IOA took over…"

Sam urged herself to ignore the whisper of "traitor" that sneaked past Jack's lips. While she couldn't blame him his feelings, she was trying to keep an open mind. _Why would she come here if she believed in what the IOA did?_

"Have a sergeant bring her to my office, Walter."

He left with a nod as Daniel made his way up from the other side of the room. Jack and Sam met him and they all moved into Sam's office.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked, leaning up against the short cabinet at the back of the room.

"There is a Major-Doctor Boscoe coming down from Area 51 to give us super-secret-squirrel information about the IOA goons," Jack said sharply as he plopped into one of the two seats in front of the desk.

"Jack…" Sam admonished as she took her own seat with a sigh. "I'll take whatever I can get…"

They sat in subdued silence, awaiting whatever information would come. Both men had the same thought as Sam at this point – they were stuck, and needed all they could get to move forward in any plan to get Cassie home.

A gentle knock brought the group out of their thoughts. A young SF escorted Major Boscoe into the office. Boscoe looked somewhat amused at the group sitting in front of her, before setting a solemn look on Sam.

"General. I was hoping to speak in private."

Sam, in response, simply dismissed the sergeant with a nod, who walked out and closing the door. She turned back to Boscoe with a blank gaze. The doctor, in turn, gazed uncomfortably around at the two men who were also glaring blankly at her.

"Go ahead, major. Audience isn't going to change," Jack prompted.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised…" she started hesitantly. "I, umm… I need to apologize. I should have done more… I…"

"It's alright, major," Sam said quietly. "We understand the position the team in Nevada was put in. You did what you had –"

"No," Boscoe cut in. "I know there was more I could have done. Should have done." She paused, as if to collect herself. "There's more to the program than what's going on at Groom Lake. They've built another facility…for medical research. Most of us were more than willing to work there, as it started out as a worthwhile venture… But now…" Again, she paused as if waiting for a reaction. But there was none coming. "The idea was manipulating Goa'uld DNA to create a variety of serums for a variety of treatments – everything from keeping back old age to a cure for cancer. We started out with cloned and manufactured samples – no animal testing, no human testing. In order to go further, though, we needed to make that next step."

"It was working?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"To an extent… But there was no real way to tell how well it would work unless we worked with living subjects." Hesitation again as Boscoe saw the expected looks of anger and disgust begin to creep across her audiences' faces. "We only ever took volunteers – those with terminal illnesses, those who had already decided to donate their bodies to science. The results we got from the volunteers varied. It was such a small group, so it was difficult to gauge effects, as each person's results were so unique and individual. It was only to test one serum, possibly two – never more than that. We just didn't understand it enough to know what would happen if too much were brought into one being…"

"You think it would be possible for the Goa'uld to…reconstitute itself?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"Like I said," Boscoe replied, "we just didn't understand it enough. We didn't want to take that risk. Even the IOA were willing to accept that limit."

"That's all great, Major," Jack quipped from his chair, "but how is it that you are here? Giving us all these secrets? I would imagine '51 would be on lockdown."

"I was…terminated."

"Fired?" Sam piped in. "I didn't think they let people go that easily."

"They don't," the major laughed flatly. "My brother, however, has always been a bit of a conspiracy theorist. He's told me repeatedly he had a plan set up for me from the day I told him I was moving to Nevada. I never actually thought I'd have to use it…"

"I doubt a trip to Colorado Springs was a part of that plan…" Sam gazed out the corner of her eye at Jack to see her own thoughts reflected back on his face.

"No… I…um…I was fired because I refused to conduct testing on what I considered an 'unwilling' subject." She paused, passing a glance over the room. "Rickson seems to have some…crazed… I don't know…" Another frustrated pause. "He's going to give it all to her. Most likely already has. I just… I thought you should know…"

The tension intensified in the small office as each person took in what that could mean. As vague and unknown as the consequences of these "tests" were, the addition of what and who Cassie was in that mix…

"Where?"

The major blinked at Jack, fighting a flinch as he turned to gaze at her.

"I'm sorry…"

"Where are they?"

"I don't know." She broke the contact, looking down. "We weren't told where the facility was. They drove us there from Nellis – always a different route, different methods. One day it would be a blacked out bus or van, next day we were blindfolded and flown out in a helo. I… I don't know…"

"It's alright major," Sam quietly offered. Both Boscoe and Jack turned to look at her. She gave a pointed nod to Jack before turning to the major with an understanding gaze. "Thank you for coming. Now, I suggest you continue with your brother's plan. The sooner the better." She got up and made her way to the door, exchanging words with the SF waiting outside. As the major made her way out, she closed the door behind her and turned back to the two men in the room.

Both of them were turned to her – Daniel offering a sad but comforting gaze, Jack's a blank glare. Once again, as the innumerable times before, their thoughts were swirling a similar pattern.

_We were probably better off without knowing…_

* * *

It had only taken them a week to pump all they wanted to into Cassie. By the end of the second week, she was just as curious as they were as to what would come from it all. She couldn't help it – the need for knowledge was always there. She'd been raised that way. _Best way to live was to learn… And keep learning… There was always something to learn…_

Coming to the end of the third week, she decided she didn't want to learn this particular lesson any more.

She sat in the corner of the dark little _cell_ they had left her in, gently bouncing the back of her head against the wall behind her. She knew they were watching. Had been. Watching and waiting.

_Waiting to see what will happen… What will change in you…_

She banged against the wall a few times before resuming the bouncing. It had been getting louder…the voice… Part of her knew it was just her mind playing tricks, coming up with some sort of way to deal with what was happening to her body. Because there was something happening. She knew that.

She just couldn't figure out what.

She'd tried to rest, tried to assess the damage and figure out how to regain the balance she had worked so hard to achieve. It was easy in the beginning; but the further along they got in their _testing_, the harder it got.

And the louder the voice got.

_THUMP. THUMP. BANG._

"Shut up…" she grumbled to herself. At the squeak of the cot scrapping an inch across the floor, she banged her head again. That was one thing that had kicked up right off the bat – she couldn't manage to control the random moving of things. She had worked to hide it, but it was getting harder. Everything was getting harder.

_Just sleep… Just let go… Just…fade away…_

The bouncing stopped as she leaned forward and plopped her head on her knees, arms folded around them. It would be easy. She knew a dozen different ways to end it all. But every time she thought about it, An'ya would pop into her mind with those curious eyes and that little smirk on her face.

_You'll come back… And we'll be safe together…_

"You can't leave her. You won't."

Cassie's head flew up to gaze at the figure sitting in front of her. The woman gazed back, that familiar look of unconditional love and understanding written across her face.

"You left me…" The response came unbidden out of her mouth.

"Ah…" Janet replied. "Well…not willingly." She kneeled down in front of Cassie, reaching out to her. The hand fell when the younger woman simply stared blankly at it. "I'm still here for you. Always have been."

"No you're not." Cassie tilted her head as she continued, "You're not Janet. My mom wouldn't have even contemplated ascending, even if she had had the option. She heard Daniel's stories. She always said if someone as strong willed and determined to help as Daniel is couldn't make it as an Ascended Being, she sure as hell wasn't going to bother. She would've been booted from their ranks in a matter of hours." She let her knees fall to the floor, folding her legs under her as she leaned forward towards the other woman. "I know you're trying to help Dinah, but I also know how tied your hands are." The woman in front of her fluttered and shifted before Cassie threw her hand out towards her. "I didn't say you had to drop the disguise."

Janet smiled sadly at her, taking the hand in both of hers.

"Talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

"I don't know… Everything is…jumbled… I can't figure out what needs to go where. How everything should fit. I can't…" She stopped, running a hand through her hair. "I just…I can't stop it. And I don't know what will happen."

"There's no way to stop what's already happened. And you are strong enough to deal with the consequences. I know it. And you know it." Janet reached out to tuck a bit of hair behind Cassie's ear, wiping away an errant tear. "You just need to be in the right place to think it through."

"I need to be home."

Janet pulled her towards her, and Cassie curled up next to her on the floor, laying her head on the other's leg.

"You remember the song I used to sing you when you were younger?" Janet asked as she ran her hand over Cassie's hair. "Whenever you were sad or got banged up?"

The quiet in the room was replaced by the soft tones of the Carpenters' _Sing a Song_, as one woman started through a verse. Another voice struggled to work through the pain and tiredness of the last few weeks, joining in for the chorus and growing stronger into the next. The song wasn't loud enough to venture further than the two figures in the center of the room, and yet it seemed to penetrate the walls of the cell, the walls of the building and the floors and layers of dirt above them to the surface. Yet all the cameras saw or heard was a quiet, broken girl curled on the floor of a cell.

Quiet and broken, but slowly piecing herself back together.

* * *

Sam sat in her office, in one of the small chairs usually sat in front of her desk pulled up to face the window. She had always liked the chart. Even with the upgrades in their computer systems, the etched windows had remained almost as a reminder of how far they had come.

This window, however, was currently blocked by a large map of Nevada. She'd been staring at it sporadically since Major Boscoe had come and gone, hoping she would get some sign as to where they would be able to find Cassie.

Boscoe's information had been reported to Senator Michaels, and subsequently to the president. Of course, the only reaction was that they were still adamantly eager to stop the IOA's actions; but they still needed to know where to go. They had already made their way through Area 51, plucking out the bits of the IOA that were still there. But it appeared the organization had decided to hide their whole program.

If it weren't so ridiculously frustrating, she would be impressed with their forethought. Of course, it was the IOA. And it was annoyingly frustrating.

Her vision was blurring as she continued to stare at the map so intently that her eyes lost focus. She could hear An'ya humming to herself in the briefing room, and couldn't help but smile. Her eyes drifted closed as she continued to listen.

"Sing. Sing a song. Sing out loud, sing out strong…"

Memories fluttered through Sam's mind as she remembered all the different times she heard Janet sing that song to Cassie. If the girl had bruised a knee, had a rough day at school, or woke up from a nightmare (the most frequent), Janet would cuddle up with her and sing, encouraging her to sing along until tears were quelled.

She opened her eyes and found the young girl through the glass, singing and drawing while rocking in one of the large chairs surrounding the table. The boys had all left to get dinner, and An'ya had been unwilling to stay in the room they had set up for her by herself. The memory of how Sam had spent hours with Cassie in the very same room was too strong, and so she had moved the little party up to the briefing room.

Her gaze wandered back to the map on its own as she continued to listen to the song, finding herself humming along as she blinded searched the lines and markings in front of her. As the humming turned to actual lyrics, she stood up and found herself focusing on a small portion of the map.

She faintly heard Jack and Daniel enter the briefing room, barely heard An'ya cut off her singing to cheerfully welcome them back. She vaguely registered the faint breeze that seemed to make its way from one door, past her, and out the far door of the office. All she could focus on was the small speck that had drawn her attention on the map.

She wasn't sure why she was so positive that this is where she wanted to look, but she was. Even more so as her vision zoomed and focused crystal clear on one dot in particular.

Jack walked into the office, and found her staring intently at the map with a hand slowly stretching out towards it.

"Hey… Dinner's here…" As her hand hit the map, she turned to him with an oh-so familiar look of exhausted accomplishment on her face. He'd seen it after many a last-minute saves and close calls. Seeing it now, he couldn't help replying with a small smirk. "What's up?"

"I know where she is."


End file.
